Blood Moon: The First Hero of Monsters
by koykoi
Summary: The 3 Goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore have created Hyrule but all are not welcome. The demi goddess of shadow and space has adopted those who have been shunned. Are monsters as evil as they seem or have they gotten a bad wrap? Set in BOTW.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Legend of Zelda or any of its characters. This is just a fanfiction.**

_Author's Request: This is my first fanfiction. I can't improve without constructive feedback, so please review. Thanks!_

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**Prologue: Mother of Monsters**

In the beginning, there was Nothing... and in that Nothing there was Vyomi. Consciousness in the black, vast, never-ending void. A dark presence in the absence of light. Weightless, boundless, with and without shape. Endlessly folding, stretching, bending, curving, then wrapped in her darkness like a second skin, she extended herself through it. She could feel her shadowy borders wisping against the outlines of any light filling the once empty spaces in the many universes. These once empties were full and spilling over with the light of creation. And once full, she no longer felt entirely connected to them. So, she turned her attention to other empty places. These black gems – for a time- were hers and hers alone.

But in the end, the Golden Goddesses appeared (the way they always did) except this time wanting her blackest, deepest, and most quiet of empty places. If one descended through her vast network of hollow dimensions, this particular Empty was at the heart of all her Nothing. It had been a while since they last asked for a space to create. Vyomi was always honored when they did.

There was an endless number of quilt patch pockets of creation. "Worlds," the Goddesses called them. Some of these worlds were close together, and others more spread apart. The Goddesses were always working to fill the spaces.

When the Goddesses demanded that she give them what she considered the heart of herself, a treasured black pearl of empty perfection - she obeyed. That was what was expected of her. This was her only duty to the Goddesses. But still, she wondered if the world they planned to create would be of equal value to what she most treasured, and so she did not gracefully retreat into one of her other empty domains. She remained close to watch the work.

Once again, Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru poured out her wisdom onto the land and gave it the spirit of the law. Farore, with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law.

Vyomi paid close attention when Farore created the five races that would inhabit this new world. Farore shaped and molded much like an artist sculpting from clay. At times, adding and taking away, then taking away and then adding. There were bits of twisted discarded "clay" strewn everywhere. Life was breathed into the five main races, and the others meant to inhabit this new world more beautiful than others created. Vyomi felt envy burn intensely through her.

All the while, the three Goddesses marveled at their new world with satisfaction and pride. Their attention captured, Vyomi stealthily reached forward and touched an unobtrusive part deep within the new world. As she pulled back her hand, Vyomi's attention was drawn to the strewn bits. They quivered and grasped at life. When the Goddesses noticed, their displeasure was quickly evident. These discarded bits created with disregard were condemned as unbeautiful, strange, and distorted almost immediately. These "monstrosities" would need to be removed.

Vyomi shocked (and feeling surprised and guilty at the audacity of her shock at the three), revealed herself to the Goddesses. The brightness of their light burned against her dark. In reverence to them, she allowed that light to diminish her darkness instead of absorbing it. Doing so would be a challenge, and she was already unintentionally showing a level of disrespect by intervening like she was. In contrite deference, she bowed, appearing before them like a small, wispy, faded shadow. She pleaded and begged to take custody of the Unintended.

The three Goddesses spoke as one. "What possible use could you have for such as them? They are Mistaken. Refuse. They are not welcome in this world of light."

Shame and something else she had never felt before burned through her. She forced herself to not give attention to that latter feeling, for fear it would reveal itself on her face.

"I am alone and cannot create like you," she said, allowing her shame to speak for her. "Please, I will take them far from this new world."

The three Goddesses of Creation loathed unmaking what was made even if made by mistake. They allowed Vyomi to take the Unwanted. She hastily gathered them into her folds of darkness and receded from the new World of Light that would soon be called Hyrule. In time Vyomi would call the Unwanted her Nulli.

The three Goddesses watched as Vyomi retreated from Hyrule. Her darkness was a long cloak that dragged over the land and the very sky. When most of her had gone, a piece of her cloak snagged on the bright shining moon, veiling it briefly in a shroud of black.

Nayru, wisest and most intuitive of the three, narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. The bright shining moon had slowly been unveiled again. Its light remained luminous but still looked as though it were shining through a veil – albeit a much thinner one. "Her presence has undoubtedly affected other things."

Just then, a fierce, malcontent wind blew in from the direction of the golden desert. Farore took note of the wind's scent. It seemed to course with a strange energy. Its aura unruly red rather than undaunting green. It blew erratically and then rushed up toward the moon as though chasing after something. It howled and swirled high above them, slashing the clouds that now covered the moon, as though to break through a closed door with demands to enter. For a brief moment, the moon's light was tinted a strange red color. The tantrum garnered no response, and the erratic wind soon moved off to unknown destinations to continue its wild, wayward travels.

"A strange wind that's not wind at all," Farore decided solemnly.

Concerned, Din stared in the direction from which the wind had come. "Are we so concerned about these affected things that we would tear everything down and start from the beginning?"

The three observed the beauty surrounding them from every direction with motherly love. They eventually reached out their hands to one another to create a circle. They had resolved to conduct the simple completion ritual that always concluded their work. It was an agreement to interfere no further on a large scale unless dire. They squeezed one another's hands in reassurance and infused their words with power.

"This world has been made and is as it will be - for good… and for bad."


	2. Chapter 1

Notes: A few notes about the story. I have taken some liberties to change a few things. #1, The blood moon is not necessarily connected to Ganon's power spilling over and out of Zelda's seal. #2 Monsters have not been seen in Hyrule since Ganon was last defeated 10,000 years ago. Oh, and the story starts just before the day of the Calamity (within a few months to a year of that fated day). There are some other things but these are what come to my mind most immediately.

_Author Request: I'm REALLY interested in getting constructive feedback on the story, improvement for character development, first impressions and whatever comes to mind that may be helpful! I appreciate your help!_

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**Chapter 1: A small forgotten library deep in Hyrule Castle...**

Dust floated in the torchlight like fuzzy, slow-drifting dandelion seeds. They tickled Florian's nose. His every movement to carefully turn a page of the ancient text in his hand sent the dust particles into a dancing frenzy. He pinched his nose to halt a cascade of uncontrolled sneezing while squinting his eyes to make out a more challenging passage to read.

"Another goddess? In service to the three," he voiced aloud in surprise. His voice sounded stark and stilted in the small room. He felt his throat tense and stifled a cough. He'd never been so deep into Hyrule castle before. In fact, he wasn't too sure how he'd even gotten to his current location. As he had descended further into the royal stronghold, it had felt like a foreboding was licking at his heels, pushing him to and fro. He couldn't shake the feeling of being observed. The room was stuffy with its lack of free-flowing air, and the impenetrable darkness just beyond his torchlight was unnerving.

Nonetheless, he urged himself on. Although he was only an apprentice to one of the lower-ranked royal scholars, he'd been working as tirelessly as any of the castle academics in service to King Rhoam and Princess Zelda. Their goal was to reveal any and all information that could help them to understand the Ancient Sheikah technology better. Their hard work had brought forth many new advances to better prepare the kingdom for the coming Calamity. Still, when it came down to it, there wasn't much certainty as to when that Calamity would occur. This very thought boar into him with piercing urgency. So much was at stake. And he was confident the obscure book in his hand was likely to have all the answers needed.

In honesty, he would likely get in trouble if his… master... Florian felt the very word catch in his throat. "That pompous ass is definitely not my master," he grumbled to himself stubbornly. Still, if said jackass found out about his secret excursions into the innermost parts of Hyrule castle, he'd be in trouble.

The lower levels had been deemed off-limits out of concerns for safety for quite a while now. Most of the books believed to be useful for achieving their goals had been brought up from the sub-floors anyway. But still, the young apprentice had wondered if anything had been overlooked and that persistent curiosity had helped him to find an unexplored area.

He'd been lucky he hadn't fallen and seriously injured himself when the floor in the corner of one of the emptied libraries on the lowest level had caved in. Florian had kept this new discovery to himself. He couldn't risk losing his position, and he'd also wanted to show anyone who doubted him that he was more than a glorified secretary.

It hadn't occurred him to explore the subjacent levels until he'd been looking through a discarded pile of older books deemed useless in his not-master's work chamber. The not-master was more interested in tinkering with all the bits of ancient tech being excavated rather than translating texts anyway. Some books were written in an old Hylian dialect, some in the language of ancient Sheikah (often encrypted) and others in the old tongues used by the other races.

Florian had always had an ear for languages, and he had learned more in his current position. He'd been especially intrigued when he came across a text that briefly discussed monsters. His old childhood fascination with the topic having nothing to do with it. Little was known about their origins except for any time they had appeared in Hyrule, they had acted as allies to one of Ganon's many incarnations. This same text had mentioned a "mother of monsters." He had tried talking to the not-master about this, but the not-master had dismissed Florian's interest in the subject.

Obviously, Ganon was the origin of monsters. Ganon conjured them, and they appeared when Ganon appeared. What else needed to be known? Florian had also been told that he'd mistranslated "mother" and that the word was clearly "father." He could still hear the apathy in Prestwick's voice. It made Florian scowl and bite his tongue. He tried hard to remember that he needed this apprenticeship. So instead, he sighed in resignation.

No matter what insults he called his not-master in his head, it still didn't change the fact that he had been (unfairly, as far as he was concerned) ranked an apprentice scholar and Prestwick, a master. When the results of their placement exams at the Institute of Hyrule had posted, Prestwick hadn't smirked or rubbed it in his face. He'd given Florian a look that reminded him of their very first meeting as children.

In that brief moment, he forced himself to stand his ground. An image of his legs turning into sturdy roots plunging deep into the earth like those of the legendary Deku tree is all that kept him from shifting around uncomfortably. Unfortunately, the image did nothing to keep everything around him from suddenly towering over him. An intense heat settled in his cheeks and forehead; at the same time, the muscles in his jaws tightened at the memory. And yet, somehow, as children, they had become friends. It had ended in disaster.

Florian hadn't seen Prestwick in seven years, and then after turning 15, he found himself suddenly face to face with him again at the Institute. Florian had earned a spot at the school as a student but with no way to pay for it. Without the blessings of his father, he'd known better than to ask for help. The Institute told him if he could find a Master who was willing to take him on as an apprentice for one year if after the one year the master believed him competent, he would be recommended for a scholarship. Simple enough, right? That was until the last person he expected made the only offer he was going to get in time for the start of classes.

_A few months into apprenticeship…_

"So, correct me if I'm wrong? Instead of completing the tasks I gave you earlier, you decided to indulge your childish fantasies in monster lore? How does any of that help us to better control the Guardians?" Prestwick scolded him like a young child even though he was only a year older. "You've been given a favor."

"Favor?" Florian bristled, again not understanding what in the world had possessed Prestwick to help him by offering him an apprenticeship in the first place. He couldn't deny Prestwick had given him an opportunity, but, to Florian's ears, "favor" sounded like "pity" or "charity." Smallness pressed down on Florian from above, trying to flatten him into the ground. His face reddened as his mind went to the rare bokoblin tooth hanging around his neck under his tunic. For the briefest moment, Florian was taken aback when he thought he'd glimpsed the ghost of concern in Prestwick's eyes. But like a person doing a double-take if they saw a strange shadow in their periphery view, Florian was left facing the Sheikah master's usual haughtiness.

"If you can't be useful, then there's no reason for you to be here," Prestwick finished, eyes once again steeled with authority.

Florian visualized himself burning holes of Guardian-like devastation through Prestwick's swollen head until it caved in on itself.

He had, in fact, finished his tasks from earlier, but Florian knew Prestwick hated him exploring interests that he thought were a waste of time. Florian's body stiffened hard and steadfast like tree bark once more. There was no shrinking this time, and he had to keep the roiling burning sensation inside himself from spilling out. Although Prestwick had achieved the rank of Master Scholar at such a young age, he was still at the bottom of the pecking order as far as masters went. This reminder made Florian feel a little better, but it didn't stop him from wondering if his apprenticeship was quickly heading for disaster.

Scholarship in mind, Florian began making his secret descents. He figured what he did in his personal time in the later hours after his duties were complete wasn't likely to bring much attention. The young man couldn't chance being caught with any of the newly discovered books. He'd have no choice but to tell the truth about where he got them. He eventually came across a curious book that contained a deity crest he had never seen before.

The book had been written by a Gerudo sage from thousands of years before. Florian suspected the book was enchanted to have held up as long as it had so far. He had been translating pieces of the volume over the last few months. The work in doing so had been tedious since the book happened to be written in Gerudo, cryptic in its vernacular in most of its pages. He'd even found a book written by a Sheikah sage written in Ancient Sheikah, also making mysterious but corresponding mention of this deity of space and shadow. Tonight, he thought he would try putting together pieces he had translated from the book written in Gerudo so far.

"Pee…peeping…no that's an S…Seeing. Scrying, maybe? The Scrying Pool of Vyomi?" he said, looking back and forth between the book and some of his own notes. There were no scrying pools left in Hyrule to the best of Florian's knowledge. Most had been destroyed during the Hylian Wars. Likely destroyed by opposing forces not wanting their opponents to know their movements and so forth. This scrying pool was hidden and different from any others that had existed. It was a tool of divination that had the power to converse with this lesser goddess. It also hinted at being able to connect with other worlds beyond Hyrule.

Florian's body hummed with excitement. His hands gripped the book possessively. He had to force himself to hold it more gently - enchanted or not. If such a pool could be found and used, they could find out the exact date of the Calamity. Florian frowned slightly. As helpful as the book had been so far, it had not precisely explained the Goddess Vyomi's connection to Ganon or his monsters. He put that thought aside for the time being and went back to puzzling out more passages.

The pool was hidden. But, of course, it was. Not only that, but its activation required a magical artifact and recitation of a magic spell by one who has an affinity with the Goddesses. His groan deepened as he read that the magic spell had something to do with the blood moon. A time when wild magic abounded freely. Blood moons were near impossible to predict.

"An affinity with the Goddesses?" he said in his quiet whisper. "Surely, that must mean the princess. It's said she's of their bloodline."

Florian knew what he had to do. Truthfully, there would be immense satisfaction in rubbing this information in Prestwick's face. Prestwick would predictably follow the chain of command by taking the information to the headmaster scholar who would deliver it to King Rhoam. And his accomplishment of being the one who found the information in the first place would somehow become Prestwick's accomplishment. Life would continue. Prestwick would become an even more insufferable prick than he already was, and Florian would continue to be a lowly assistant. Prestwick's lowly assistant.

Mind made up, Florian decided he would get the book and its contents in the hands of the princess directly himself. He tucked the precious cargo into his satchel and reached to take the burning torch he'd arrived with from the holder on the wall. The discomfort he had buried with the excitement of his discovery had begun to push to the surface again. His deep dive into the book had distracted him from the droplets of sweat snaking their way down his spine. A moment later, something colder and icier than his perspiration swept its fingers up his back. Florian whirled around as though to strike away that coldness. The enveloping darkness in the room seemed to lean back from his torchlight.

Light and shadow battled each other against the walls. He'd never felt this way before on one of his descents. The urge to flee from the room was stronger than ever, but he'd been careless with his route this time around... Which way was out? He licked his lips and began to feel lightheaded as he peered into the darkness. Doing so made him feel disoriented and off-balance, but he couldn't look away.

The thick darkness seemed to be moving with life. He flinched and pressed his back against the wall. The torchlight seemed to be dying, and he felt his fear grow. His mind shifted back to the importance of the book. With what remained of his courage, he swung the torch forward to force back whatever seemed intent on swallowing him whole. Darkness always ran from the light, didn't it? But to his horror, his torch came to a complete halt, half embedded in the thickness of the black _something_. Strength drained from his hand at that moment.

The blackness moved slowly to swallow the torch whole. Then the cloud began to glow a color that made Florian think of death and blood. He was trapped in that small space, lost and far from anyone who might help. The black mass was a wall blocking the room's entrance. This was good for buffering Florian's scream of terror when a single droplet like dark arterial blood and the pink of fresh meat touched his skin. The pain was unbearable and scalding. A dark intelligence heavy with malice pressed against his mind almost instantaneously and enclosed around it with a vice-like grip. All of his muscles seized and twisted to the point of nearly tearing. The torment only stopped after he began to feel despair. The malicious presence seemed to lick away at that and nestled comfortably deep down in his flesh. This thing within him...whatever it was...it intended to use him… and would slowly devour his life in doing so.

Florian's mouth moved, but it was no longer him.

"It would appear I was right to keep an eye on you. There is much at stake just as you surmised. The princess is not the only one with an affinity with the Goddesses. You will serve me for as long as your flesh will hold."


	3. Chapter 2

Note: I was worried Chapter 1 was too long and decided to let this part be its own stand alone chapter.

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**Chapter 2**

It was a sensation like flying…and then floating. His movements were swift and flowing, smooth, and liquid. Florian had never moved so deftly in his life. His footsteps lightly padded from rooftop to rooftop as he leaped through the cool, late-night air.

He remembered seeing Sheikah warriors practicing their skills during the one time he had visited Kakariko village as a child with his father, a traveling merchant. He had envied them and been in awe of their abilities. Now here he was, moving like one of them but in great pain and with great strain. The effort left him breathless and exhausted.

When he finally came to land on the largest house in the village, it was all his body could do to not lose his footing. His legs felt numb and loosely attached. The entire trip to this very spot had felt like being lost in a hazy dream from which he was slowly awakening. He suddenly heard the voice of the Thing that had violently taken control of his body at Hyrule castle. Its voice was loud in his head.

"So frail and so weak," it spat in frustration, words dripping with disgust. Feeling foggy-headed, Florian wanted to rest, but the Thing wrenched him straight and erect, forcing him to look for a way to enter the house through an unobtrusive opening. Once inside, they crept stealthily along a hallway with no hint of a squeak or groan from the wooden floorboards. Florian felt his body forced to a jarring halt as he neared a staircase when they heard two voices coming from a sitting room just below.

"I have told you already once before Yuzu," said a voice belonging to an older man. The voice spoke irritably with tiredness. "I have yet no intention of announcing who is to succeed me as village chief." The old man launched into a terrible fit of coughing.

"Let me pour you—" said the voice of the man whom Florian recognized as Yuzu. Dread crept through him. The older man interrupted briskly.

"My successor," the old man said, raising his voice, "is concerning themselves with the work that needs to be done right now, and not wasting time pursuing selfish interests."

"I assume you are referring to Impa," Yuzu said with genuine disappointment tinged with bitterness.

"Under Impa's leadership, many great rediscoveries in the use of our people's lost technology have been made," the older man replied. His voice burst with approval and something very much like fatherly pride, before turning back to admonishment. "What have you been doing besides pretending to check on the failing health of an old man?"

"Elder Butan," Yuzu began, delivering his words in a clear effort at restraint, "with all due respect, it may have escaped your notice during your convalescence, but my son and brother have greatly contributed to the efforts made in researching our people's technology. My family—"

"Stop!" the older man rebuked sharply. His voice lashed like a whip. "There is nothing more shameful than to use the accomplishments of others to exalt yourself." A long, tense pause between the two men ensued.

Florian could feel the impatience of the Thing within him swell to a breaking point. It was searching for something and tired of being delayed. It directed its baleful attention upon him again.

"Tell me where it is," it thundered harsh and vicious in an internal monologue only he could hear. It was prepared to forcefully glean any and all knowledge possessed by Florian to help it get what it wanted. A sharp spear of pain lashed his nerves. Florian wanted to scream. An orb…large enough to fit in clasped palms, round, polished smooth and made of blue moonstone appeared at the forefront of his mind. The orb sat on a pedestal in the same room as the one Elder Butan and Yuzu were currently occupying. Florian felt the Thing's anger come ablaze, and he recoiled expecting further assault.

"Yuzu, I grow tired of this conversation," Elder Butan simmered. "While I do not approve of your reasons for wanting the role of chief," the Elder's voice paused for a moment as though he had come to a sudden realization. "I… I know your motivations are not rooted in…great darkness. I will speak of succession no further tonight."

"I apologize. Please forgive my misplaced concerns," Yuzu forced out brisk and tight. There was a pause before he continued in that same tone of realization as the Elder. "Yes…At the moment, we should focus our attention on more important matters."

Florian could hear Yuzu collect himself and then retire from the Elder's home. Quick and stealthily, the Thing forced him to hide and wait patiently in the shadows. They waited until they heard the old man retire to his rooms. Once certain the perfect opportunity had arrived, Florian was moved to the floor below. The room was dark and illuminated by little light coming through the windows from the night sky. The Thing worked quickly to find the orb exactly where Florian's memory had shown it'd be. Florian had recalled as a child the globe appearing more crystal clear with a tinge of glassy blue. The orb in front of him looked like a glittering, black ball in the darkness. His hand reached greedily to grasp it.

"Stop where you are," came a steely voice from behind him. Florian recognized it as belonging to Elder Butan. "What are you doing in my home?"

Florian grasped the black orb tightly. He leaped high in the air to land on the banister at the top of the staircase and then stepped down with supernatural grace. The possessed young man halted when Yuzu stepped out from the entrance of the upstairs hallway. He was a middle-aged man trim and lithe, dressed in traditional Sheikah garments of white, red, and dark blue. His white hair, like the Elder, was pulled up into a top knot.

"You are skilled without a doubt," Yuzu observed, genuinely impressed. "I've known few with such light footsteps, but even if you were completely noiseless, we were still made aware of your presence." Yuzu's eyes went to the black orb in Florian's hands.

"It absorbs the intentions of others – dark and pure. And I never have in all my days as an elder seen the moonstone blacken as it has tonight." Elder Butan leveled in a flinty, graveled voice. "Who are you?"

Florian ignored the old man. Instead, he tucked the orb into a pack on his back with the skillful hands of a magician and replaced it with a single short blade. Elder Butan and Yuzu were cutting off his exits. The Thing seemed to have every intention of leaving the way it came, and that meant going through Yuzu. However, Florian felt his gaze forcefully shift to the elderly man who, despite his show of strength, was clearly not in good health. This had not stopped the old man from moving with surprising quickness to position himself at the bottom of the staircase. Florian watched the old man quiver as he suppressed another violent coughing fit. In his moment of weakness, the old man staggered forward.

Knife in hand, Florian launched himself down the stairs with what looked like the intention of burying it deep in the Elder's chest. Yuzu was quick to come to the defense of the old man and barreled into Florian from behind with his arms wrapped around Florian's waist. Florian was horrified when the click from the knife in his hand sent its blade projecting forward with great speed and force. A new blade ejected from the knife hilt a split second later.

Yuzu and Florian continued their tumble down the steps. Florian twisted in Yuzu's grasp, and with a quick jab, he plunged the new blade into Yuzu's back. He raised his hand again to plunge once more, but Yuzu shifted his weight and managed to grasp the wrist of Florian's knife-hand. Still tumbling, Florian came to straddle Yuzu and began pressing his weight down in an attempt to bring the blade home to rest in the other man's chest.

Florian felt his strength and stamina quickly ebbing. Sheer terror and panic coursed through him, but the Thing within him was wholly immersed in the pleasure of battle. Despite the skills of The Thing controlling his limbs, Florian's body had not been honed and hardened for battle. While Yuzu on the other hand was a trained Sheikah warrior from birth. In a competition of direct strength, Yuzu had the upper hand. In spite of this, the Thing merely sneered down knowingly at Yuzu. Yuzu's eyes widened when the click of the knife went off once again.

Florian watched in great sorrow as the Sheikah man's eyes flashed in surprise and pain. Yuzu's gaze went down to his chest, where a blade was embedded deep. Dark blood pooled around the wound, and his strong grip on Florian's wrist loosened. Florian still had the bladeless knife in his hand. Yuzu's eyes went to linger on the familiar carvings of the empty hilt and then focused on Florian's naked face as though piecing together a puzzle. In their struggle down the stairs, Florian's face covering had come undone.

Blood trickled out of Yuzu's mouth. "I know you," recognition flooded his voice.

Florian had never killed anyone before, and though he knew it was not himself who had done this terrible thing, it had still been done by his hands. His mouth moved on its own, and ominous words that were not his own came out.

"Soon, all will know and remember me. And many will remember and know me again."

Yuzu's eyes grew lazy and dull before finally closing.

Florian felt his stomach sicken in horror as he was forced to plunge his hilt down on the end of the blade sticking out of Yuzu's chest. The blade clicked back in place easily. He then looked up to stare at Elder Butan, who had slumped to his knees, his back pressed to the wall and his head resting lifelessly to one side. The old man's hand was wrapped around the blade sunk deep through his heart. Florian moved involuntarily to retrieve this blade as well.

He wanted so badly to look away from it all. He felt the sickness in his belly grow as it mixed with perverse satisfaction. The satisfaction didn't belong to him, but the intermingling of it with his own horror made his stomach roll. He was grateful when he felt himself begin to sink into the haze from earlier. Full of guilt and shame, he thought about Yuzu's final words. Yuzu had not been talking to the vicious Thing that had mercilessly ended his life. He had been speaking directly to Florian.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Somewhere in the Gerudo Desert...**

Florian remained trapped on the inside, looking out. A helpless prisoner in his own body. The outside world seemed muted and dim, made blurry by dirt, sweat and blood. He doubted he had the strength left to wipe any of it away from his face. Not that the evil entity puppeteering his body would allow it. And it certainly didn't care. He was so tired. And the pain never stopped in the parts of his body he could still feel.

The entity had literally dragged him into a deep, underground dark chamber. Light shone down from the glowing orb hovering high above in the room – a blue moonstone. The largest he'd ever seen. He'd stolen it from the home of the Sheikah chief in Kakariko village. Guilt ravaged him at the thought, along with what he had been forced to do to get it. He tried to busy his mind by taking in the sparse details of the rest of the chamber.

The room was circular, made of solid rock with no windows. Directly in front of him was a simple altar that had acted as a resting place for the moonstone orb. Carved into the rock wall beyond that was a dark flourishing swirl. He was certain it was the symbol of space. There were two swirling flourishes carved into the wall on either side of him in his periphery vision as well.

As light from the orb began to glow brighter, the globe itself began to look more and more like an actual moon nestled in a pocket of night sky and clouds. Florian was stunned and awed. He had never seen magic like this before. The orb appeared to be emulating the real moon and even the night sky on the surface. He wondered if it actually was nighttime outside the chamber. Slowly, the moon seemed to be moving to better center itself and its light directly over an ominous opening in the floor of the room, right behind the altar.

The entity had forced him to stand stiffly for hours before the altar and the hole in the ground. The large cavity was perfectly round, set deep in an enormous scorched black crescent marking. An all-encompassing blackness darker than any shadow, dark corner, or moonless night he'd ever seen filled the hole. Whenever firelight shone on it from his now-dead torch or the moonlight like now, the light hovered strangely just above its impenetrable surface.

Fatigue weighed down on his body heavily. He remembered stealing the orb. The desert… Blackout… Someone screaming… More blackouts… Pain… Insects buzzing loudly in his ears… Strange masks and muffled voices speaking in worship…. The terror of falling…Then moving through more darkness… The order of it all left him uncertain. He didn't even remember walking into this room. The entity eagerly seemed to be waiting for something. Florian, on the other hand, was waiting for the nightmare to end. His body couldn't take too much more. He was certain the entity hadn't fed him or given him a drop to drink in days based on the way he felt. Although food and drink could likely do little to stop his declining health, which he believed was being caused by the entity's poisonous presence in his body.

The entity continued to force him to look upon the moon. Clouds had begun to drift in front of its gleaming face - slowly and then more swiftly. Florian watched as the celestial body was unveiled as something more otherworldly and bloody. Red mist drifted down, and time seemed to slow. He wanted to cry out in pain as the entity finally forced his stiff body to move forward. It felt as though his muscles were being peeled off his bones. Did the entity plan to throw him in the hole never to be seen again? Florian struggled against the entity more forcefully than he had in days. He threw his will against the vice grip entwined around every nerve in his body like barbed stingers. The pain was staggering.

The entity didn't even bother to swat away his efforts. It could care less about his still lingering presence. This was the moment it had been waiting for.

A red light shone on the black pool from the blood moon. The entity pulled out the dual shot knife and raised one of Florian's hands. Florian watched helplessly. His hand was deathly pale beneath the dirt and grime. The skin seemed bloated; something beneath began to writhe and pulse. Florian begged and pleaded. The entity plunged the knife into his palm, and the skin almost seemed to explode. Glowing sanguine purple blood spurted out. The heartless parasite within him flung the wounded hand forward, and blood splattered against the surface of the pool. Florian drifted in and out of consciousness for several minutes before desperately grasping onto wakefulness again.

He felt his mouth being moved and heard parts of an incantation being said. The entire pool began to glow the same color as the blood moonlight. Florian was horrified when something began to rise slowly from its shadowy depths. A feminine shape completely unadorned and coated in the tarry darkness rose from its center.

The young man recoiled inside as he was forced to bow, and the entity spoke using his voice. Sure of itself, deep and smooth.

"Goddess Vyomi… as always, I am honored by your presence."

The woman glistened in the red moonlight, smooth and polished. Her body sculpted of the blackness of the pool then wrapped in light. The expression on her face was impassive. Her dark hair floated weightless like smoke around her face. Noiselessly, she began to hover above the pool and then came to sit on some invisible seat only she could see. She reclined with the same lazy, graceful motion of the clouds that had drifted across the moon only moments before.

"Ganon, Chosen of Din," the Goddess addressed him formally. Her voice was chilly as the night air. The sclera of her eyes had taken on the same red shining light filling the room, while her irises and pupils appeared as black gaping holes. "What is it that you want?"

Florian's stomach dropped upon hearing Ganon's name uttered. He'd known that this was the true identity of the entity. He dreaded hearing it confirmed. Florian felt terrified and more vulnerable than he thought possible standing before the Goddess, even though she was speaking to Ganon and not him. He'd never felt so helpless and unimportant. His childhood interest in monsters suddenly felt terrifying and very real.

He was not supposed to be there… and yet he was. His mind went back to Princess Zelda and the deity book he'd found. This meeting clearly answered questions that the ancient text written by the sage had not. Where was the book anyway?

Florian recalled Ganon attempting to burn the book soon after taking control of his body. As Florian suspected the book was enchanted and had survived that attempt at its destruction. It also told Florian he was not yet in his full power, and there was still time to stop him.

Florian wanted to look for the book, but his eyes were well trained on the Goddess. Inconveniently, fogginess had started to cloud his mind again. He fought to stay alert. Even if he did lose consciousness, Ganon would continue to puppet his body, but he would lose out on the opportunity to learn important information that could help Hyrule… possibly himself. He needed to survive long enough to tell someone what was happening. He forced himself to remember. When he came into the chamber initially, he still had his satchel backpack. Ganon had forced him to drop it to the floor. The book was there some where.

Florian's thoughts went back to the Goddess when the muscles in his face pulled back involuntarily into a wide smile.

"I respectfully request to reinstate the terms of the last contract made for the Unwanted Ones," Ganon stated calmly.

The Goddess seemed to be expecting his request.

"The Nulli," she emphasized in correction, "are not welcome in Hyrule. The World of Light wanted nothing to do with them, and the Nulli care nothing about the concerns of this world." She relaxed further in her unseen seat as she spoke. "Our last contract and each previous one, has always entailed that they would be under your command until the end of one of your campaigns - win or lose. As I recall, you lost... again."

Ganon was undeterred. The pleasant smile remained etched on his borrowed face, though the muscles had tensed. "So true, and sadly your Nulli remain banished by the three Goddesses. But I'm quite certain they would still like to return to Hyrule. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered to entertain this meeting."

A small smile, genuine and terrible, bloomed on the Goddess's face at the same time the wall in her demeanor dropped. The subtle distinction in her dark façade was visible only because of the light glistening off it.

"I'm very much aware of your current plans for Hyrule. I didn't make this world, and what becomes of it isn't for me to say."

"Interesting, considering our many previous arrangements and you being a servant of the Goddesses," Ganon replied. His voice was confident, and the smile on his face took on a new nuance. Almost lascivious. Like a man taunting an old lover about previous liaisons that he knew the other party would much prefer to forget. For a moment, the darkness in the room seemed to strangle what light was present. The Goddess's smile didn't change, but her eyes seemed to blacken if such a thing were possible. Her voice was a thing of poise, tension, and control.

"True, I'm their servant, and because of that, I can't go against the Goddesses by directly allowing the Nulli to enter Hyrule. And I never have. "

Ganon continued charmingly. "Well, as one chosen and deemed worthy of the Triforce of Power by the Goddess Din, if I were to invite the Nulli into Hyrule in service to me, they wouldn't be trespassing."

The Goddess nodded impatiently. "This has always been so. And would the services you require be anything different this time around?"

"Their will must be mine. Fully and completely. I still require an army," he answered.

"As is always the case in war," the Goddess responded in rote fashion. "I'm inclined to grant your request under one condition."

Ganon tilted Florian's head to give the Goddess something of a sidelong glance. Vyomi continued to state her terms of the agreement.

"My Nulli will cross into Hyrule at your summons at the next blood moon. Their volition will be yours to command. All but one. You will allow this One to cross with the rest of my Nulli - invited - into Hyrule - free will intact."

The expression on Ganon's face became one of suspicion and consideration. Vyomi maintained her casual posture and a more neutral expression than before. It would seem to Florian her proposed condition was apparently something new than in previous dealings. The Goddess seemed intent on guiding Ganon's thought process.

"You know, I hear Princess Zelda has had difficulty awakening her spiritual powers," she said, breaking the silence. "So fortuitous." The Goddess continued her musings. "Historically her powers have an incapacitating, rather binding effect. But who can say if those powers will ever awaken? Tomorrow, weeks or years from now, maybe never. Although I can't recall a time when they haven't. Can you?"

The muscle tension in Florian's body suddenly became more agonizing, and he thought his tightly clenched teeth would shatter.

"What becomes of your war when they do?" the Goddess crooned. She didn't wait for Ganon's response.

"My Nulli, although banished from the light, are hardy and strong, making excellent storage vessels for your power. If they fall in battle, their spirits will return to the Nulli Void and reincarnate at the next blood moon." The dark, bottomless pits serving as the Goddess's eyes dragged over Florian's ravaged form. "Meanwhile, that vessel you are currently puppeteering is frail and quickly failing...all over the floor." She turned her head to give the blood moon a pointed look. "This could be your one and only chance to secure a new contract with me before the Princess's Awakening."

Ganon forcefully smiled before answering. Internally, Florian had panicked at hearing the Goddess's disparaging assessment of his physical condition, but perhaps it fitted that he should appear as horrific as the occasion. This deity was, in fact, the mother of nightmares, and Ganon intended to unleash them once again upon Hyrule after 10,000 years.

"Dear Goddess, your points are well taken. Time is of the essence." Ganon continued, some of the pomp in his voice gone. "As before, our interests align. I will agree to your One Nulli. But if your One dies in Hyrule, he will not reincarnate back to this World of Light from the Null Void... ever."

It was the Goddess's turn to pause for consideration.

"Done," she said finally. "A new contract has been struck. If there is nothing more…"

"Actually, Goddess," Ganon added, "I took on this facade so I could meet with you without arising suspicion, but as you can see…"

The Goddess understood his request and had no further desire to converse with him. She stepped down onto the surface of the black pool. Gracefully, she lifted one arm. The symbol of a black moon appeared on her hand, and a dark circle moved from her palm, wavering in the air toward Ganon. As the shadow passed over him, through him, he felt himself being pushed out of the body he was occupying. Pushed...pushed... and pushed until he found himself separated. The host body collapsed to the floor heavy like lifeless clay, and with a dull thump almost immediately. What remained of Ganon was the glowing, blood-purple mass resonating his unceasing malice for anything standing in his way.

Just before relinquishing all hold on the vessel previously housing him, he'd felt its lingering life energy dangling from a single, unraveling thread. It had served its purpose, and there was no chance of anyone finding it in its final resting place. He had no objection to it staying precisely as it laid. As for the moonstone, it was right where it belonged long before it had been misplaced by a certain meddlesome Gerudo sage.

The Goddess then plunged one of her hands deeply into the black pool beneath her feet. Its smoky surface rippled and waved. A moment later, a black shadow appeared underneath "Malice" Ganon. Dark fingers closed around his writhing form while pulling him swiftly into its murky depths.

The Goddess turned her attention to the lifeless body, left like trash on the floor of the sparse chamber. A small sigh parted her lips. There wasn't much to do about it. The blood moon was almost over, and its light was starting to bleed a pinkish red. The remains of this poor unfortunate man would have to stay where it laid. She had all but turned away and prepared to descend back to her realm when a weak, rasping voice called out to her.

"Waait... Ple-please wait."

The Goddess's eyes widened in surprise. She took a close look at the man – or rather the young man - she was all but certain moments before had been dead. His youthfulness had been lost on her when Ganon had possessed him. Suddenly, he looked much younger. He was clearly Hylian. The pointed ends of his ears made that evident. His skin looked ghostly pale and bloated. His ruined left hand still bled profusely. He didn't even seem to have the strength to lift his head, much less any other part of his body. Heavy lidded, red-rimmed eyes with dark circles stared back at her. Without a doubt, this young man should be dead, yet he was daring to lock eyes with her.

A puddle of darkness grew and expanded underneath the young man. His body trembled with terror as a shadow beneath him formed into a giant hand. Except instead of abruptly enclosing around him, it lifted him up gently and cradled him so that he could face the Goddess with more dignity.

"Don't be afraid," Vyomi said with a softness that had not been present when Ganon was still in the chamber. Her voice had become the warmth of a crackling fire in the night. "I won't harm you."

The youth seemed surprised by the stark difference. He looked at the female deity suspiciously, but when he saw no cruelty reflected back, his body hesitantly relaxed.

"Goddess Vy-vyomi…My name is Florian. I have rea-read… about…you," he said, trying to gather his strength. "And I know you revere life...of a sort. I don't understand why you agreed to help that evil creature. What he is...what he's done to me...what he would do to Hyrule."

"Is what he's always done," she said, finishing for him, seemingly unperturbed.

Florian was stunned into silence briefly. "Well, it cannot be allowed," he rasped boldly, shocked and angered by her nonplussed attitude. "If Hyrule is destroyed, then your monsters will have nothing."

The Goddess met his anger with a cold anger of her own when he'd said the word "monsters" and arrogantly presumed to tell her, Goddess of Shadow and Space, the meaning of having nothing. "Young man, I do what I do to protect the lives of those who have been undervalued. Events must play out as they are meant to so that all may eventually live equally in harmony. And I will play my role in this cycle, as I have every other one until this end result is achieved."

Florian stared back at her, confused and still angry, but forced himself to bite his tongue. She turned her head to look pointedly at the moon, and it's dwindling blood light before turning back to him. "There's not much time left for you or me in this world tonight. However, I believe I can help save you if you are willing to trade something of value."

"Then please send me to the Spring of Power," Florian blurted out, feeling foolish almost immediately at his obviousness. Florian wasn't entirely sure where Princess Zelda was currently, but he'd heard King Rhoam had commanded that she resume her spiritual training full time. The Princess was sure to be at one of the three springs of the Golden Goddesses.

The Goddess in front of him laughed. It wasn't a bitter laugh, but the kind one might make at a naïve child asking for something silly. "A bargain must be reasonable and always include a fair exchange. I won't send you there, or to any other place the Princess is likely to be right now," she responded. "But what I am willing to do is send you to a place of healing. And in return, you will not speak of me, Ganon, our dealings, nor this chamber."

Florian slumped some at hearing Vyomi's response, even if he wasn't surprised. Not wasting any time, he scraped for resolve. "Goddess, I can't agree with this."

"Then that leaves one of us in quite the dilemma," she said matter of fact. "You can stay here and die alone where no one will ever find you, or you can go home to your loved ones and be fortunate enough to have walked away from this wretched experience."

"Please, if you send me to my village, I will... gladly give you my tongue," he sputtered impulsively once more.

The deity stared at him now. "Do you really think me a collector of dreary, gory things?"

Florian squirmed uncomfortably in the unrelenting pull of her dark gaze. His mind went to the monsters she seemed so strangely protective of and whom he'd once been so fascinated by. He found himself sputtering for an answer, but to his credit, he didn't drop his eyes.

Vyomi smirked as though having read his thoughts. "Well, I'd say my _monsters_ are more useful than your tongue. You can keep the pink squiggling thing for whatever good it seems to be doing you."

The moonlight had become a light pink, but despite this, the Goddess took time to note the young man's adamant refusal of her offer. He didn't seem to want to have any more magical workings placed upon him that might bind his will, and would first give up bodily pieces of himself. She supposed she couldn't blame him considering everything she'd imagine he'd likely been through. The vastness within her suddenly overflowed with empathy but was mostly staunched when she noticed the bokoblin tooth hanging around his neck. An idea formed in her mind.

Florian's eyes turned to the fading moonlight. The moon's lifeblood almost wholly drained and returned to the color of a pale white bone. It was taking all his strength to keep his lids from closing forever. He felt himself fading away. Panicked, he began to look for his bag. He needed something to hold on to and started to reach for it weakly in vain. The Goddess shook her head in refusal and then spoke again. She pointed at his satchel and then the moon once more. He strained to hear her voice, which seemed further and further away.

"I will send you where your body can recover…but if you should speak of that which you shouldn't, you will…And not well…As for both your hands, should you write with either… And finally, you and any descendants in your familial line… tethers… In return, I will allow you to keep…"

The young man's breathing was starting to become more labored, but he still seemed ready to argue. The Goddess raised her hand in authority.

"Enough. Your answer. Now."

Vyomi watched as the dying youth drew upon his final reserves before responding. The Goddess of Courage would likely have been proud. Vyomi saw only desperation… and a new opportunity to be seized.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Victim of Circumstances?**

Darkness circled about him predatory and dangerous. It swiped and tore at him as he struggled to free himself from its enigmatic domain. The fear and panic propelling him through the brush were familiar companions that urged him on. Thorny branches reached for him, clawing at his face and ripping at his clothes as he ran. He couldn't see the creature behind him, but it was unrelenting in its pursuit. Trees continued to lash out at him, roots in the very ground tangled at his feet. He kept upright, and he kept moving. The foliage above had knitted together, blocking out almost any light. Blood trickled down his face, his arms, and legs. He knew from experience how this would end, and that realization suddenly made him very angry. It was a game that sickened him to his stomach. His body was shaking when he came to a dead halt. He turned to face the creature.

He was startled to find an unusual little girl staring back at him, looking concerned and empathetic. She had hair like starlight and skin as pale as the glowing moon. Oddly, the forest seemed more inclined to frame itself around her rather than reach to devour her. Her voice was small and gentle. "I'm not him. You have nothing to fear from me, Florian," she said with a sad shake of her head. Her large dark eyes radiated compassion.

It was irrational, but Florian let his guard down and felt himself flood with relief. He was so tired. The young man had no reason to trust the girl, but he didn't resist when she stepped forward and took his hand. He let her lead him out of the forest and into a small open area with a gently flowing spring. She seemed unbothered by the blood dripping down his hand and onto her own. A starry night sky hung above with a full moon set in its center. Somehow along the way, he'd become a little boy again, and the little girl had suddenly become a young woman.

"You need to heal," she said in nurturing tones while stepping aside and beckoning him forward.

Florian knelt down to look in the pool and saw the moonlight gleaming off his copper blonde hair. Light reflected off the surface of the water, illuminating the gold in his brown eyes. Blood from the cuts on his face dripped into the water and rippled the surface. The water further reddened when he put both hands into the pool. It felt so good he kept going until he was in up to his elbows. He closed his eyes to take a calming breath. But when he leaned back, he quickly found he couldn't. Dread and fear made him turn to call for the strange woman-child… but she was gone. His body jolted when he heard her speak softly to him from the surface of the pool, mere inches from his face. For a moment, she had been monstrous and pig-like, further startling him. In the span of a heartbeat, she was her lovelier self once more.

"There's a special place for thieves, murderers, and monsters… A place filled with others just like you," she said oddly as though to reassure him, even though her words did nothing of the sort.

The moon and the water of the pool began to darken. The woman's moonlit skin and starlight hair also became like the night.

Florian attempted to pull away without success. The world flipped, and it was him in the water and the woman sitting on the edge of the pool. She pushed his head down beneath the dark water rough and hard. Two hands, unlike any he'd seen among the five races, began to reach for his forearms and pull him down. Florian fought hard until he managed to pull the lower half of his body out of the water and freed one of his arms from the monstrous grasp. His head and right arm remained submerged. Lungs burning for air, water rushed up to his nose and down his throat.

He awoke suddenly, coughing and sputtering for air while cradling his right arm from a burning sensation. His body jerked upright but not for long. He felt something large and heavy slam into his chest, forcing him to bash the back of his head onto a thin cushion. A low growl, a massive paw on his breastbone, and the glint of canines warned him to lay very still. His surprise wore off, and Florian let out a breath of exasperation through his nose. The dog returned the gesture with a spray of saliva and more growling. It took a moment, but he realized he and the unfriendly hound were slowly rocking back and forth inside a small covered wagon.

The confused young man looked around as best he could in his current position and took in his surroundings. He was lying on a small bed with a quilt pulled over his legs. There was a metal storage compartment and a chest of drawers next to one another, lying parallel on one side of the wagon. There were more storage compartments and sacks filled with unknown items on the other side. A small lantern, several dried herbs, and cooking utensils were hanging from wooden braces secured to the wagon bows.

"Hey, hey, hey back there," chided the voice of an older woman. "Is our guest awake?"

"Yes! Yes, I am!" Florian called out urgently. "And, I think your dog wants to eat my face!"

Just then, a head covered in thick, snowy white hair appeared directly above his own, followed by a leather-gloved hand shoving the dog's face away from his. The end of a long, white braid thick as rope landed on Florian's face. Apparently, the bed was propped against the wagon's driving seat with only a curtain to separate the two.

"Pay her no mind. That's just Rooster." The older woman said, laughing brightly from the driving seat while whipping her braid back over her shoulder. "No need to worry. She's mostly vegetarian."

Florian sat up slowly, keeping an eye on Rooster and rubbing the dog slobber from his face. "Mostly?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, unless I say otherwise," the older woman answered playfully. "Of course, judging from the saliva on your face, maybe she took just a nibble."

Rooster was a large hunting dog with long, ruffled, white fur splattered with reddish-brown markings as though someone had dipped a paintbrush in mud and flicked it at her repeatedly. Her brownish head also looked like a bucket of muck had been dumped on it. The menace displayed only moments before was replaced by her mistress's easygoing manner. The dog's tongue lolled out her mouth as she sat back on her haunches.

"And this is Silkie!" the old woman continued with introductions, while further moving aside the curtain to show another large hunting dog sitting next to her on the spacious driving seat. Silkie had long, smooth fur as pure white as her mistress's. The old woman shifted her body to show what looked like the oldest hen he'd ever seen sitting on her left shoulder. "This right here is my Daisy In March!" The chicken let loose a string of strangled clucks and blinked one cloudy eye. "And the steed pulling this hen house is Cappie," she finished proudly pointing in front of herself at a black horse wearing a long, red stocking cap.

Florian waited for the old woman to introduce herself, but she continued to smile at him with expectation. He noticed, unlike the chicken, the old woman's eyes were clear, bright, and blue.

"My name is Fl-" he started initially. Then thinking better of it finished, "My name is Flinn."

"Well, I'm sure you are darlin'," she responded as though this had been obvious. She returned to staring at him pleasantly.

"Oh, and… thank you…for helping me," Florian added awkwardly. "I think?"

She nodded. "Believe me, it's better if you say thank you first. And you're welcome," she exclaimed, finally seeming satisfied. "You can call me Linny." She turned to face the road she was driving on but continued to speak with him. Her long braid returned to trailing down the back of her dark green cloak. "You still look a little peaked; otherwise, I'd ask you to come to sit up here with me."

Florian was about to argue but realized Linny was right. He still felt drained and tired, but definitely better than he'd felt in the underground chamber. He glanced down at his hands and rubbed them together nervously. He was surprised and relieved to find they looked the way they always did - except for his left hand, which had healed but had a large, nasty scar.

The look in Florian's face went far away as he thought about his dual shot knife plunging down through the center of his palm. The memory caused him to jolt. He continued to clench and unclench his fist. There was a stiffness that hadn't been there before. The burning sensation on his forearm from earlier had subsided, but he wanted to roll up his sleeve to inspect his arm. When he noticed Linny giving him a sidelong glance, he quickly lowered his hand from her view.

"Hmmm," she assessed. "Well, you seem sane enough. But you also look like you got a story to tell. How about you start by explaining why you were trying to boil yourself to death in the hot springs near the Maw of Death Mountain?

Florian jolted at the old woman's directness.

She shrugged, "Well, there are quicker ways, you know."

"Hot springs?" he said, caught off guard. "I wasn't trying-"

"You could have fooled me," she interjected. "I was coming back down Death Mountain when I found you floating as well as a stone in soup. I had to kick off my flamebreaker armor so I could pull you out. It would've done no good if I sunk and drowned with you… The pair of us would have been like a couple of over boiled potatoes."

Florian thought about everything he knew about the hot springs on Death Mountain, the most important fact being that their healing properties were renowned.

Linny continued on, "The Goddesses only knows how long you'd been floating, but you still looked worse for wear. I had to use several fairies on you just to make sure you'd make it, which is never a good sign and almost always means one thing." She made a slicing motion with her finger across her throat. "So, the Three must favor you."

Florian bit his lip in unease and then laughed bitterly. "Actually, I'm pretty sure it's the other way around." The woman was surprised but she didn't get a chance to press him further. Florian jerked to attention when his thoughts went immediately to his satchel, or rather its contents. "Did you find anything else when you found me? My traveling bag?" He blurted out. He couldn't help hoping even though he could guess the answer.

Linny paused for a moment at his sudden forcefulness. "No hon. Just you. You and those rags you were wearing, which of course I had to change you out of… Well, all but the boots."

"What?!" Florian sputtered, looking down to find himself wearing a tight pair of pants and a flowy, loose white shirt. The shirt had embroidered birds and flowers. The pants had several feminine embellishments as well.

"Just remember you already said thank you," Linny laughed. "I had to try a couple different things on you to find the right fit. I felt like a little girl playing with dolls again. Luckily, you have one skinny keister. You have on one of my favorite traveling trousers."

"You saw me naked?" Florian's face reddened. "All of me?"

"No need to be embarrassed, chickpea," she reassured, her eyes sparkled with mirth. "You weren't exactly a feast for the eyes. But, if you must know, you were looking red and raw like a starved, plucked chicken. A little more rest and good eating will take care of that. As for the rest of you, I'd say the bird was safely in his nest, and the eggs intact. Check yourself."

"Never mind! I don't want to know anymore," Florian groaned with a shake of his head. "Can you please tell me where we're going?" It was his awful luck continuing its sweet reign of terror. The only other woman to see him naked in his life besides his mother just had to be someone's crazy grandmother in the middle of nowhere.

"We're actually very close to Goponga Village," she responded, a note of mild amusement still evident in her voice. Florian was familiar with the place. It was a swamp community that mostly traded in fishing goods. Most of the village's buildings sat on little isles throughout the swamp connected by wooden bridges. Linny went on, "A few merchants there paid me to transport some goods to Goron City on account of me owning fireproof armor. There's also an inn for travelers. So, while I attend to some business, you can rest some." She smiled. "And over dinner, you can tell me more about your story."

Florian smiled back, halfhearted and confused. He was sure he had yet to tell her any of his story, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to even if he wanted.

A few hours later, wagon parked at the Goponga Inn, Florian found himself standing in front of the stall of the second merchant Linny had decided to visit. It was the middle of the day, and they had visited a clothing vendor earlier. Linny had left her hen and two dogs at the inn's stable, but for whatever reason, she insisted on bringing Cappie.

Florian insisted on tagging along instead of staying at the inn as planned when she offered to buy him some new clothes. "Fine, I'll book the room when we get back," she'd said, giving in. "The wagon would be a tight fit for all of us." He was grateful and touched by her generosity but wanted to pick out his own outfit. He was determined to repay her kindness someday. In the meantime, he was wearing a spare hooded dark green cloak Linny had given him to cover his current ridiculous attire. He'd change once they'd returned to the inn.

Before starting their errands, Linny had handed Florian a bag of swamp fruit to feed Cappie as they walked among the hustle and bustle of the swamp island village. He knew swamp fruit was considered an acquired taste, and he was surprised to see the horse gobble the stuff down so quickly. "Quirky. Just like your mistress." Florian smirked at the horse as he fed it another piece of fruit.

"The price we agreed on was 200 rupees plus extras, Graeti," Linny said coolly, staring down a large, portly man standing to the side of the stall. The man had a beard the color of a bird's nest and cheeks that looked stuffed. A sleeveless tunic exposed thick arms, and an apron that barely covered a robust belly was tied around that.

Linny herself was a petite, slim woman who, despite her age of about 60, stood firm and straight-backed. Florian suspected that white hair of hers had probably been more of a pale blonde in youth. She held Cappie's reigns who happened to be blocking the view of the stall and making it difficult for interested customers to walk up. "I delivered a large jar of your pond apple jam to the Goron chief. He wanted to use it as a glaze for his rock roast. It was easy to sell the rest of the jam after that. Anyway, I have the rupees I was promised, but I want the other part of my delivery fee. Or should I just take the rest out of the profits still in my possession?"

Florian noticed the fruit on display at the booth was the same green, funny shaped fruit he had been feeding Cappie. The stall keeper looked down his nose at Linny, ignoring Florian. "You should have charged more for the remaining jam after the Goron chief bought one. You're short," he sniffed derisively as he folded his arms over his broad chest.

"And you're being a greedy, fat flying rat," Linny retorted.

"_And _you took longer to return than you said you would," the stall keeper raised his voice. He uncrossed his arms, lowering his meaty hands into balled fists.

Linny glared unblinkingly at the stall keeper, but a smile quickly brightened her face when a terrible stench began wafting around them. The stall keeper's young son began calling out in a high pitch voice. "Father! Father!" The large man hurried to the other end of the stall to find a huge, fresh pile of horse dung.

"Don't mind Cappie! It's his nerves. He gets a little stressed out at business dealings," Linny called pleasantly to Graeti.

Red-faced, the merchant stomped back to Linny, sputtering to find his words. "Your Cappie has… has…"

"Taken a crappie," Florian offered offhandedly with a wrinkle of his nose. He averted his hooded face to hide his amusement when the merchant glared at him furiously.

"And right in front of my fruit stand!" Graeti bellowed, no longer able to contain himself. "Move this foul beast away now!"

"You don't say?" Linny asked, feigning innocence. Still holding Cappie's reigns, she moved him forward just enough to have him stand directly in front of the stall. Cappie gave a grunt, which was followed by the sound of further plopping. "Oh, dear me, I'm so sorry." Linny pulled Cappie forward again only to leave behind a trail of more foulness. He swished his long tail as he walked forward, knocking over several pieces of fruit that fell in the mess below.

"You disgusting old crone!" the merchant roared. "You will pick up every last piece of filth deposited by this mangy creature!"

"Oh, I think not," Linny replied sweetly. "As a matter of fact, I think we'll hang around to shoot the shit a bit longer."

The stall keeper angrily grabbed a parcel from behind the booth and shoved it at Linny. "Now get away from my fruit stand!"

Linny handed the merchant a heavy leather pouch containing his part of the profits. He snatched it away roughly. As they moved away from the booth, they could hear Graeti yelling at his son to grab a shovel. Florian grinned and chuckled from under the hood of his cloak. It had been a while since he had laughed. Linny gave him a wink. "That saggy bearded tit didn't know who he was dealing with," she smirked. "It'll be the last time he tries to short me."

She tossed the bag of the remaining swamp fruit to one of the onlookers parting the way for them. Florian was alarmed when he noticed a few people taking more of an interest in him than Linny. It made him think of the scrutinizing look that had been on Yuzu's face when his face covering had come off. Florian paled at the thought. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Linny.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I think I'll head back to the inn," Florian said, feeling uneasy and pulling the cloak closer around him. "I'd like to change and rest for a bit until dinner."

"You do that chickpea," she said sympathetically and then handed him the parcel from the clothing vendor. "I haven't actually reserved our room yet. So, wait for me in the wagon."

Florian kept the hood of the moss colored cloak over his head as he walked back to the inn. He did his best to avoid looking at the faces of anyone he passed. Once inside the wagon, the young man changed his clothes. He exhaled in relief at the looser fit of the new trousers. The ends were shorter, but still long enough to be tucked into his sand boots. Apparently, his shoes were the only part of his previous clothing that had held up. The tunic was like the one worn by the merchant they'd encountered earlier but longer sleeved, ending mid-forearm.

It was then that he felt the strange burning sensation just below his right elbow again. Inspecting his arm, he noticed the mark of a hand with three clawed fingers that seemed to be grasping his forearm. He hissed in pain as the outline glowed molten gold. Then the light and the strange handprint seemed to sink into his flesh and disappear.

"What in Din's Flaming… Asshole was that?!" he blurted out in shock, wondering what the mark meant for him. He thought of his deal with the Dark Goddess, the specifics hazy in his mind. He'd had no choice but to agree to her terms. Florian cursed himself for his foolishness and the Goddess for taking advantage of it. He could only assume the mark wouldn't mean anything good in the long run.

The bewildered young man sat on the bed but hesitated before lying down.

In truth, he still felt fatigued, and running errands with Linny had been an excuse to avoid resting. He didn't want to think about the dream he'd had and worried about having another like it. He also didn't want to think about everything that had happened to him up until this point. He needed to focus on his next move.

He needed to find Princess Zelda.

_But if you should speak of that which you shouldn't, you will… And not well…_

Florian startled when he heard a knock on the side of the wagon.

"Hey, chickpea," Linny's voice suddenly called through the wagon cover. "If you're done blaspheming in there, I have something for you."

Florian startled but was grateful for the interruption to his thoughts. He could only hope the older woman hadn't seen the bright light that had filled the wagon moments before. The young man rose quickly from the small bed and walked to the back of the wagon. Linny was looking up at him with a warm smile that deepened the lines around her mouth, seemingly unaware of anything amiss. She still had on her dark green cloak and had rolled up the long sleeves of her shirt, which was still neatly tucked into her brown trousers. Her leather gloves hung from the belt around her waist. She gestured for him to take the tray of food from her hands, which he kneeled down to do.

"Unfortunately, it looks like the inn is out of rooms. So, I guess we'll have to sleep one to the wagon bed and one to the floor," the kind-hearted woman replied sheepishly. "I brought you a little something from the inn's kitchen." The plate had roasted fish, local swamp greens, and a slice of fresh bread. She pointed to a hot steaming mug. "I think you'll be partial to this. It has a good dose of fermaberry liquor. I added just enough to make your sleep a dreamless one, so you should have a good rest."

Once more, Florian felt embarrassed and shifted uncomfortably, feeling undeserving of her kind attentions and observations. "Thank you for this. You can't know how much I appreciate your generosity. If you come in, I can try to explain everything."

Florian wasn't exactly sure what would happen if he tried to tell his story, but he felt like an attempt was owed. He was surprised when Linny declined. She insisted on needing to finish running a few more errands first.

So, he ate his meal alone and drank the liquid in his mug. It was warm milk mixed with honey and cinnamon. He could taste the sweet spicy bite of the fermaberry liquor. It didn't take long for him to drift off. Florian slept deeply and, like Linny promised dreamlessly. He was rocked awake close to sunset the next day, still heavy with sleep. He fought his way through his fogginess when he realized his hands were bound with rope. The furry heads of Silkie and Rooster were resting across his torso lightly snoring.

"Linny! What's going on?" He yelled, struggling against his bindings and startling the two sleeping dogs placed as sentries awake.

The dogs jumped to attention next to the bed and growled a warning. He managed to cautiously prop himself up to a sitting position but made no other movements. The wagon halted and rocked for a moment before he heard feet hit the ground. Moments later, the old woman climbed inside through the back with Daisy In March perched on her left shoulder again. A somber and regretful look appeared on her lined face. Florian was surprised when she pulled out a rolled piece of paper from the back pocket of her pants with a sketched likeness similar to his own. "Wanted," it read. "Murder and Theft."

"From the look on your face," she replied," I'd say this is you…Florian of Lurelin."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Explanations and Excuses **

"You don't understand," Florian stammered, his mouth dry. The poster said he was wanted for the murder of Sheikah Chief Butan and theft of a treasured Sheikah artifact. Strangely, it didn't mention anything about Yuzu. Florian could only assume that meant Yuzu must have survived. Despite his predicament, he felt a sense of relief.

Linny reached into her boot and pulled out a small gun that unfolded into a crossbow. An arrow spring-loaded. Cocked and ready, she pointed it directly at his chest. "This is so you don't get any funny ideas."

She continued to speak as she reached to unlatch a metal compartment off to the side with her free hand. It was apparently where she also kept her flamebreaker armor. A lighter weight version of it he observed. Florian's eyes widened when she pulled out his satchel backpack. "I'm sorry I lied to you about finding this, but I found some interesting tidbits in here. And I needed to get my measure of you." She placed the bag on the wooden floorboards of the wagon and then reached inside to pull out his dual shot knife. The blade was clean, but the Sheikah designed hilt was darkened by blood. Florian felt a large knot in his throat. "I can explain," he said softly and looking guilty.

Linny spoke as though she hadn't heard him. "I've had plenty of odd end jobs over the years, but I've had only one true profession." She placed the knife back inside the satchel and then reached inside her shirt to pull out what looked like a large, heavy gold medallion hanging around her neck. The front of the medallion had the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule, a loftwing. She pressed down on the loftwing, and the necklace opened to reveal the inside of a compass made with impressive craftsmanship. Florian looked up into Linny's eyes, not sure where this was going.

"It was my honor and most sacred duty to serve as a Royal Marshal for the Royal Family of Hyrule," she said, full of pride and great reverence.

Several moments passed before Florian awkwardly asked, "I apologize. But what is a Royal Marshal?"

"A secret agent of the Royal Family," she said, exasperated as though this were not the first time she'd had to explain this. "I'm retired, of course. But during my years of service, it was my duty to retrieve fugitives of the law. And I was very good at it."

"Are you sure that's an actual thing?" Florian asked, raising an eyebrow at the eccentric older woman. "Are there other marshals? Because I'm pretty sure I would have heard or seen-"

"That's why I said secret, you booby," she snapped. "My mother, her mother, and her mother before her, and so on. All were marshals," she said indignantly. Her hand tightened around the compass. "This was given to my many-times great grandmother by the royal family." She leaned forward and added in earnest, "Its magical."

Florian sucked in a long breath and let it out in a huff. He knew he was wasting time arguing with Linny about the existence of Royal Marshals. A fancy compass – even a "magical" one with a loftwing - didn't prove such a thing was real. For now, he supposed it was possible, but in any case, he needed to return to the main issue. "Linny, the crimes I'm being accused of. It's not what you think."

Linny frowned. "When I found you in the hot springs, I initially thought you were a criminal run away from the Citadel. Then I thought possibly a traveler robbed and left for dead. I couldn't be sure, but either way, I wouldn't have left you as you were. So, I tended to you. After you woke up in the back of my wagon the first time, you refused to sleep again; and quite frankly had the look of a henpecked rooster." She paused for a moment as though to reflect on something and then continued. "Once we got to Goponga, you spooked when a few of the villagers seemed to take an interest in you and hid out in the wagon. This convinced me to look into any recent goings-ons. And it turns out I found a wanted poster with your likeness inside the inn. After that, I drugged you up, and I got us out of town."

"And what are you going to do with me? Where are we going?" Florian asked.

"Hyrule Castle Town," she huffed. "We'll be there soon. We've been traveling for the better part of a day." She saw his panic. "Be happy I'm not taking you to Kakariko Village. They're calling for your head over there. Let's consider this my final act of kindness to you. Once we get to Castle Town, you'll be transferred to prison. Due process is more likely to happen with cooler heads prevailing." As Linny turned to leave, Silkie and Rooster sat on their hind legs keeping their eyes locked on him.

"No, wait!" Florian pleaded, heart pounding. "I'm not a murderer or a thief!" Though deep down inside, he wasn't sure if he sounded all that convincing, even to himself.

Linny reached inside his bag again. He presumed to pull out his knife once more. "Is that so? Then how do you explain these baubles?" she demanded.

Florian's breath caught in his throat when he laid disbelieving eyes on the moonstone orb in the old woman's hand. A sapphire circlet dangled from her middle finger.

_In return, I will allow you to keep…_

"That's what I thought," she said when he didn't respond and then promptly placed the large stone and jeweled tiara back in his leather bag. She snapped her fingers at Silkie and Rooster to resume sentry positions.

Florian fumbled for his voice as the older woman turned to leave again. The moonstone orb was one thing, but he hadn't a clue about the origins of the circlet. He blurted, "You haven't heard my story yet!"

Linny eyed him for a long moment. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. She let out a sigh, grabbed a stool, and then dropped down to sit in front of him. Daisy In March was caught off guard. Flustered, the old hen flapped her wings rapidly and clucked in protest before finally resettling herself comfortably on Linny's shoulder. Linny reached up with one free hand to comfort the bird and kept the other hand wrapped around the crossbow gun.

"Well, let's hear it," she said reluctantly.

Florian began to sweat nervously. His mind flashed with thoughts of the evil man known as Ganon… the entity whose corrosive spirit had taken control of him, infected his body like a terrible disease, used him, and then left him ravaged. His body suddenly remembered the pain from the underground chamber -acute and sharp. He heard the voice of the shadow goddess loud and clear in his mind again.

_But if you should speak of that which you shouldn't, you will… And not well…_

Florian swayed with lightheadedness as the color drained from his face. Linny seemed bewildered by the visible change in him. She clenched her mouth tightly in suspicion. The pain receded, and curiously, Florian felt a feeling like drunkenness wash over him. His head dropped to his chest.

"There once was a man," he began in a low voice, "who wore boots for the sand…"

Linny leaned forward cautiously to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"This man was overran… This man could not withstand…" he rambled.

Florian looked up, wobbly eyed into Linny's face. The older woman's nose and mouth seemed to stretch and bulge. He found himself feeling silly and had to suppress a smile. He leaned back when Linny's and Daisy in March's heads began to expand filling the space. A moment later, he fell backward, landing on his back with a grunt. The wagon's top began to spin. He reached his rope-tied hands up as though to stop it.

"I cannot… beeee remand," he slurred, attempting to get up again but fell to the bed with a thud. "I need youuuu to understand," he said, thudding onto the bed once more with a groan.

Linny stared blankly at Florian for a while. The silence was broken when an egg hit the floor of the wagon with a sudden plop and released a putrid smell. Linny glanced at Daisy in March, down at the egg and then at Florian. Her big, hearty laugh filled the wagon. "Well, I can't tell which was worse than a fart in the face," she tittered.

Florian managed to straighten upright to argue with her. He stopped when he felt an unmistakable force of will ready to wrench control of his mouth and tongue.

Linny stood up slowly, waving the hand with the crossbow gun at him tiredly. "Oh, no, you won't be laying any more smelly ones in these ears. Not if you know what's good for you."

Florian could feel the drunkenness begin to alleviate almost as quickly as it appeared. He opened his mouth to plead with Linny further but changed his mind when he saw the look of dismay on her face.

"Lies and nonsense smell amazingly similar to horseshit too, you know," she responded threateningly. Florian stared at her, confused, and then imagined riding all the way to Castle Town next to a large bag filled with horse dung.

"You wouldn't?" he asked, astonished.

"Don't tempt me," she answered flatly. She turned to leave but took the wanted poster out again, and placed it in his bound hands. Disappointment had etched the frown on her face. "This should have been enough to tell me everything I needed to know about you, but I'd say you've convinced me I have more than one bad egg in this wagon."

Florian bit his tongue in frustration but couldn't help feeling guilty. "May I have a pen?"

"What in the world for?" she responded peevishly.

"I'd like to write a confession about my crimes. I can use the back of this," he said, shaking the rolled paper in his hands.

Linny let out a puff of air. She seemed suspicious but acquiesced. "Keep in mind, if you have any funny ideas, Silkie and Rooster will be there to rip 'em right out."

It wasn't long before they were moving again. Silkie and Rooster stared him down vigilantly. Paper and pencil in hand, he thought about the words of the Goddess Vyomi when he'd been on the verge of death. She'd most definitely implied something would happen if he tried to write his story. Still, he needed to make an effort. He reddened in embarrassment, thinking about the gibberish he'd spewed only moments before.

Angrily, he did his best to unroll the paper and leaned forward to begin. There would be no confession. This was his last chance to convince Linny, and he needed to get it right. "It's all in the wording," he thought, trying to convince himself. He stopped when he began to declare himself innocent. A vision of warm blood staining his hands that was not his own flashed fresh in his mind. He couldn't say Ganon's name and doubted he could write it either. If he described him, maybe? He put pencil to paper once more and wrote: "The culprit responsible is from the-"

Florian's hands immediately began to seize and grow numb. His fingers clenched tightly around the pencil, breaking it in pieces. He was more than frightened when his fingertips began to turn the color of rot and decay. They continued to blacken until they looked as though they'd been dipped in the darkest shadow. The unnatural shadow spread over his hands past his wrists but stopped at his elbows in black branch-like veins that crept up his arms. With a strength he'd never possessed before, his hands snapped the ropes that bound them.

Silkie and Rooster became immediately alarmed. They began to growl and then loudly bark with Rooster letting loose a loud bellow that gave tribute to her name. "Roo-Roo-Roo!"

"What's going on back there?" Linny yelled out, bringing the wagon to a halt.

"I-I don't know!" Florian stammered back, frightened. "Don't come back here!"

The terrified boy felt as though he were attached to two bucking stallions, each wanting to go its own way. His hands and arms seemed to possess a destructive mind of their own. They began to smash anything within reach, including the wagon itself. The two dogs launched themselves at him viciously, teeth bared. Florian wanted to raise his hands to protect himself, but his hands had other ideas.

Silkie was backhanded with such force she flew through the canvas covering from one side. Florian heard the dog hit the ground with a terrible thud followed by its whines and whimpers. Rooster was sent flying through a wagon bow and into a tree on the other side of the road. Florian felt the top of the canvas begin to collapse down on him. He ran forward and jumped out the back. He was met by Linny, pointing her crossbow gun at his chest again.

"What in the world are you?" she yelled, staring at his shadowy limbs lashing about. She looked to see the crumpled forms of her dogs and anger ignited in her eyes. Before Florian could speak, she had fired off several arrows at him. With inhuman speed, Florian's hands took control by shielding him from harm...or perhaps protected themselves? He couldn't be sure. Linny continued to fire until her gun was empty. The arrows sank slowly into his hands until they were gone. A moment later, they reappeared, embedded in his raised palms, arrowheads pointed directly at Linny.

"Linny, get out of the way!" Florian screamed. "I can't control this!"

The arrows fired within seconds. To Florian's relief, Linny managed to dive nimbly out of the way and took cover in the few trees on the side of the road. He needed to get away from the older woman and her animals. The last thing he wanted to do was cause any more harm to them. The sun had just finished setting, but there was still a little light in the sky.

Florian searched frantically for his traveling bag among the wagon debris on the ground. He would need the moonstone orb if…no when he made it to Princess Zelda. He still couldn't feel his hands and had no doubt it wouldn't be long before Linny attempted a second attack. He was sure she was reloading her gun while he contemplated his next move.

Miraculously, he found the bag lying next to the damaged metal compartment Linny had been using for storage. The locker was dented, and its lid damaged. He ran to his backpack, dropped to his knees and awkwardly bent his head down to grip the strap in his mouth. He didn't wait and took off running in the brush. His hands waved in the wind at his sides lifelessly. He still couldn't feel them, but at least they were no longer violently flailing about.

Linny watched as Florian ran off, satchel dangling ridiculously from his mouth and arms waving limply like black flags from his sides. She had successfully reloaded her crossbow gun and been ready to continue her pursuit of him but halted when she heard more plaintive cries of pain coming from her dogs. Cappie had startled during the commotion, came unhitched from the wagon, and ran off down the path. She also wasn't sure where Daisy In March had flown off to. They were her family, and she needed to ensure their safety before she did anything else. Her hand gripped the compass around her neck.

"There's nowhere you can run that I can't find you!" she shouted after him.

She was so enraged, she didn't notice the odd, little man dressed in a strange tunic made up of quilt patch animal hides walking up behind her.

Florian was still determined to somehow tell Princess Zelda everything he knew about Ganon's planning so far, but he was well aware of the obstacles to this. Or at least he thought he was. There was no way he could get close to her being a fugitive of the law, and getting close to her meant knowing where she was, which he didn't. Not exactly. And even if he did, she was well protected by a knight of renown. A soldier not just known for his skill in combat, but who many considered to be the Hero of Legend reincarnated. Florian suddenly felt foolish beyond measure. There was no way he would last in a fight with the Hero of Legend if the soldier decided he was a threat.

But even if he could set aside all the barriers he'd just listed, he could only hope to speak nonsense to the Princess the moment he began to tell his story. He thought about the two still useless limbs dangling at his sides. There was no way he could write down his story, and if he could, the moment his arms started going haywire, the Hero known as Link would most certainly slash him in two. Florian slowed to a jog and then stopped running altogether. Hopelessness seemed to course through his veins like thick molasses all of a sudden. A feeling like drowning very similar to in his dream made it harder for him to catch his breath.

He couldn't do what he needed to do on his own, and no one would believe him. _"Go home to Lurelin Village," _he thought. But he knew doing that would mean eventually being arrested, followed by the inevitable shame that would befall his family.

His father had expected him to take over his business as a merchant. He had rejected this in favor of following his own path. How stupid he had been? But going home now would mean having to admit to failure and enduring the shame that came with that. When he had been trying to make a deal with the Goddess Vyomi, he had been willing to give up pieces of himself to avoid his current predicament.

"_Maybe there was another way,"_ he thought to himself and then began running again.

There was still one person who could help him… His mind immediately went to the dual shot knife in his backpack and the person who had gifted it to him in childhood. The image of Yuzu slowly dying quickly followed… Convincing the one person who could help him to do so would first mean convincing them not to kill him in well-deserved vengeance.

_Coming soon_: **Chapter 6: In the Abyss of the Nulli Void**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: In the Abyss of the Nulli Void... Part I**

A bustling sea of life energy had gathered to form a giant swirling ball against the dark. Word had gotten out that the Goddess had momentous news to deliver. Pog and his older brothers like every other Nulli had gathered high above their makeshift city in anticipation of the Goddess's announcement. The life energy that belonged to every Nulli dotted across the Void like glimmering stars of bioluminescence.

Pog would often stray far from the Nulli city on his own to float and admire their glow. Their bodies were the only source of light in the Void despite the best efforts to provide otherwise. From afar, their varying gleams of blue, green, yellow, red and so on looked like fireflies floating aimlessly. Sometimes the lights darted from one point in the nothingness to another. The afterimages of their movements left beautiful, intricate patterns that he traced with his eyes. It was peaceful for him to watch his people. He could forget their unhappiness. He could forget their dour expressions and their listless roaming to find something other than darkness in the never-ending nothing.

The Goddess Vyomi appeared before them in the center of their gathering a shining thing carved from an otherworldly material. Normally, she blended into the darkness of the Void, becoming part of it and being everywhere at once. Pog shivered at finding comfort and discomfort in that knowledge. How often had he felt smothered by the darkness enveloping him? And yet how often had he thought his fellow Nulli ungrateful to say so out loud, not caring if the Goddess heard. They knew beyond the Nothing lay something even bleaker. And yet, the Goddess had silenced none of the grumbling. In fact, she had tried to make life more comfortable for them as much as possible.

His mind recalled the orbs of light called Sols that the Goddess had placed in various places in the Void to illuminate the realm. The orbs had always died out without natural life energy to fuel them. Many Nulli had been willing to feed the orbs from their own life force, some denizens at the expense of their own lives, thus forcing the Goddess to remove the orbs completely.

He remembered the Goddess opening glimpses into other realms to abate their loneliness. This had only amplified their feelings of isolation. The Goddess had even brought abandoned structures from other worlds into the Void to create the Nulli city. The Nulli had been so happy in the beginning until the three Goddesses of Creation had accused Vyomi of stealing. Vyomi could bring no other materials into the Void so the Nulli could continue developing their domain. With that, a depression fell upon the inhabitants darker than the Void itself.

Many of the Nulli viewed their city as a hollow imitation of the lively metropolises in the worlds of light they got to occasionally spy upon. A city would not make the Void conducive to life. The Goddess altered the bodies of the Nulli from flesh and blood to pure energy to allow for their survival in the Nothing. How could the Nulli say they were alive when they saw themselves like wraiths roaming the scavenged buildings of ghost towns? Over time, the spirit drained from the eyes of his people, and the Goddess had appeared before them less and less.

Despite the milling crowd of Nulli surrounding him, Pog recognized the pulsating energy of his three elder bokoblin brothers when they bristled against his own. The four of them were closer to the center of the gathering. He watched the lights of the largest Nulli among them—four whale-like Moldugas outlined in red, orange, and dark blue swimming in slow circles on the outermost layer of the spherical assembly. Their great tails and the large fins lining their backs swished gracefully. The one-eyed giant Hinox and elemental stone Talus formed the next layer. The feline centaurs called Lynels, boar-like Bokoblins, Moblins (larger piggish cousins to the Bokoblins), and reptilian Lizalfos were after that. Forming the innermost layer at the core was the Pebblits (smaller versions of the giant Talus), bat-like Keese, the impish Wizzrobes, globule Chuchus and tentacled Octoroks.

Duroc's energy flickered and sparked like a live wire around his fluorescent body. He looked ready to shock and singe anyone who came too close, or frankly, pissed him off. "So glad to see the Goddess grace us with her presence," he mumbled. He crossed long arms over a broad chest and his piggish snout wrinkled with a snort. His energy always glowed a deeper blue to match the intensity of his mood.

Pog shook his head at his brother's glib comment. He squirmed when Boggu's energy splash unpleasantly atop his own like keese droppings. Boggu's normally blue-black energy, though green more often than not these days, had always been sticky and slow. Unfortunately for Pog, it seemed runnier than usual and was oozing down the side of his face. He was sure he looked very much like a used handkerchief.

He pleaded with Boggu and was tempted to zap him into soberness. Exhausted as he was he decided against it. His other two brothers shifted away, leaving him alone to shoulder Boggu's drunken presence. It was clear Boggu had been partaking in energy swapping before arriving. Nulli didn't need to eat or drink in their current forms (with the exception of sleep), but the exhilaration that came with energy exchange was a diversion many had taken to during the depression.

"She's beautiful like a black diamond," Boggu drawled dreamily. "Like smoke captured in glittering glass." He smiled contently at the Goddess while his large bulbous eyes lulled around lazily in his head as though floating in water. Then looking over at Duroc, he hiccupped. "Lesson to you, gift from me: never mix octorok and lizalfos montessence unless you plan to chase it with milk of molduga."

Duroc grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Look at yourself! You're dripping everywhere like ChuChu snot," he snarled ready to tear into their befuddled brother but paused to raise a heavy scrutinizing brow at Pog. It was only now that he noticed Pog's usual vibrant red luminesce had dulled. "Not you too, Poggle?" Pog didn't have the energy to wave off his brother's inquisition, so instead he yawned. His fatigue and tiredness were for a reason he didn't much understand at the moment, much less cared to explain. And anyway, he'd never had an interest in joining Boggu on one of his excursions.

Muko raised a hand, calling for their silence. They reluctantly complied. The silver bokoblin's attention fixed intensely on the Goddess. Pog did his best to follow his eldest brother's lead while still juggling Boggu. Muko was the most sensible and levelheaded of his three siblings. It was no wonder the Nulli appointed him head foreman when the city was being developed. Pog frowned, knowing Muko had also taken it the hardest when development had stopped.

Still following Muko's example, Pog kept his eyes on the Goddess. The red bokoblin's gaze didn't contain the mistrust and disappointment like a great number of his Nulli brethren who had gathered. Pog hoped today would answer the questions on the minds of many. He was sure there were others who continued to have faith in the Goddess's intentions.

With luck, there would be no more wondering if she had long stopped caring about their wellbeing. There'd be no more despair at the thought of being abandoned. She appeared to him like a young woman as black as the Void from head to toe. Vyomi gleamed, looking dipped and polished in their light. Her abrupt appearance before them had been startling and everyone quickly grew quiet. The Goddess's voice resonated and echoed.

"A reprieve to your suffering has finally come," she announced. "Your true home...the world of light known as Hyrule awaits your return. Although that world shunned you, you're still of it. When you all were exiled, I'd hope to give you a place to belong. I understand that this darkness is not enough for you." She paused for a bit and then continued. "But an invitation was extended to you from one who has an affinity with one of the Goddesses of Creation. I've spoken of this to all of you before. His name is Ganon. He invites you to return once again but not without condition."

The energy arising from the crowd was tepid. So far, she had not presented a deal unlike anything different Ganon had offered them in the past. She sighed as she continued knowing the rest of what she had to say would be familiar, but would still likely anger them.

"Remember, when you all return to Hyrule you will be in servitude to this being as you've been in the past. Your wills and your bodies will be his to command. The Nulli are to be his army in another war for Hyrule. If Ganon should lose his war, you'll return here, memories wiped of all participation."

The Goddess had taken to wiping their memories after any period of indentured servitude out of what she claimed was a kindness. "You'll not be yourselves when you go to Hyrule and if you return to the Void, you'll cope better if you have no recollection of any unsavory events or actions." Many had argued against this in the past, but the Goddess always held firm to this rule. "If you die during your service in the war in Hyrule, your spirit will return to the Void where I will hold it in stasis until you can be reincarnated at the next blood moon."

The silence upon hearing these words crashed down flat and heavy. An undercurrent of anger simmered beneath it. A wave of voices broke through and crashed down upon her in an assault. A few stood out to her.

"First the three Goddesses condemned us to float in this lifeless limbo and now if we return to the home of our birth we're to be slaves! Again, in a never-ending cycle! Why is this always our only choice?"

"At least it's a chance at life! We don't belong here!"

"Anywhere is better than the abyss! I can't bear another endless moment of this place!"

Their words slammed into the Goddess hard and bruising. She took it all in, becoming like a black hole. Then, keeping her face impassive, she continued.

"I've bartered with Ganon that all who cross into Hyrule shall pay this toll... all but one." Again, silence pervaded the Void.

"A single one among you may cross into Hyrule with free will intact. He'll be the Hero among you to one day earn the right of all Nulli to walk freely in that World of Light. It's my hope that this One working for the Many will change the hearts and minds of the Hyruleans so they will invite you to stay permanently."

The Goddess waited for the Nulli to understand what she said.

Muko broke the silence. During the Goddess's address, he'd begun staring down hard at their unfinished city. The combined light of their gathering above it illuminated it in a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors. Pog was sure when his brother looked at the Nulli City he saw the beautiful glowing home of the Zora in Hyrule sitting in its place. The Goddess showed it to them once before and told them they could create something just as wonderful in the Void. The Zora made their city of a glowing ore in Hyrule called luminous stone.

The Goddess had also told them in the past, prior to the last two contracts with Ganon that she would be negotiating with the sorcerer-entity for a large amount of this ore. Enough for the Nulli to use to construct their own city. Pog remembered the excitement and joy of his fellow Nulli. He also remembered the anger on the Goddess's face when she had returned to them. Per the Goddess, Ganon would only agree to give the Nulli the luminous stone if he won his war for Hyrule. They got nothing if he lost. Several failed dealings with Ganon later and they had yet to acquire any of the coveted mineral.

The eye of every Nulli - Keese, wizzrobes, moblins, lizalfos, octoroks, chuchus and more rested on Muko.

"And this hero? Who are they?" Muko asked, deep voice rolling out of his chest. His silver energy crackled brilliantly like striking lightning.

Vyomi gave Muko a long appraising look. _"He likely would have been you,"_ she thought to herself wistfully. _"Chosen by me, if not for Ganon's condition barring reincarnation... and the intervention of fate."_

"He's someone who will never stop fighting for you even when the rest of you have forgotten yourselves," the Goddess answered aloud finally. She hoped this was true. She thought of the second deal she had made after she transported Ganon away from the underground chamber in Hyrule. The Nulli Hero would be whoever the tether found compatible. And she intended to honor that choice.

Muko brooded over this information and then shook his head slowly, irritably. His brow furrowed. He turned to speak to the rest of the gathered Nulli. His words were like a knife sharpened and carefully chosen.

"Banishment, exile, conscription... are not kin to freedom and acceptance. And they are a poison to hope. _My_ hope died with our unfinished city. I have none left for this Hero. The Hyruleans will never accept us. Why should they? We may have forgotten our previous visits to Hyrule, but they haven't. If Ganon wants us to fight for him again, then we must oblige him." A hard, flinty tone that matched the intensity of the gaze he had given the city below further honed his words. "We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Vyomi interrupted, noting with surprise the bitterness in her once first choice for Nulli Hero. Had she retreated into the darker recesses of her Nothing for too long? When had his eyes begun to burn with such hate? "Time has shown repeatedly that the One can make a difference. We've seen this with the Hylian Hero of Legend. Would you still say what you're saying if you were identified as the Nulli Hero?" the Goddess asked Muko, analyzing him closely.

Muko faced her boldly, his expression a study in neutrality and just short of challenging. His gaze seemed to say, _"But I'm not, am I?"_ Instead he responded in his gruff voice in grunting tones, "With all due respect Goddess, it doesn't matter who the Nulli Hero is because we still must carry on as we always have. This Nulli Hero will fight an uphill battle. How is he supposed to change the hearts and minds of the Hyruleans while the rest of us are mindlessly plundering and pillaging the land?"

"You're right," the Goddess in feigned concession. Her eyes lingered on Muko momentarily before she spun around slowly to all others in attendance. The line connecting their gazes had been drawn taut and tense. Unspoken words danced on a tightwire between the two. "The Hero has his work cut out for him," she told the Nulli. Her body posture and tone of voice were relaxed and languid. She made a request. "But the changing of hearts and minds will need to begin here before it can ever begin in Hyrule. I only ask that all of you give our Hero, whoever he is, a chance."

Muko lowered his head in a well-practiced bow that masked his face. The rest of the Nulli followed suit. "Forgive me, Goddess. I'm grateful for everything you've done, but we must fight for our place in Hyrule for as long and as many times as it takes. By whatever means necessary."

There was a murmuring in the Nulli crowd.

The Goddess halted for a moment to judge the weight of his words. She released a small breath and then addressed the rest of the Nulli. "Be ready at a moment's notice. Ganon's summons could come at any time. I'll open a point of crossing when the blood moonlight appears in Hyrule again. As for our Hero, the mark should appear soon, and when it does, call to me." Then facing Muko. "Prepare yourselves. All of you still have one last choice to make."

Pog stared at Muko with newly formed valleys creasing his forehead. He knew how much his eldest brother cared about their people. The feeling was mostly mutual. He watched other Nulli including Boggu and Duroc come closer to mill around the leader of the bokoblins. Most did their best to avoid Boggu, who was still not quite his sturdier self.

A school of bat-like chittering keese glowing in red bioluminescence made quick swimming motions to swarm the large, silver glowing bokoblin. Their wings momentarily transformed to look more like fins for easier movement. Pog sometimes did the same with his feet and hands when he moved through the Void. Often, unconsciously, with little thought or effort. In their energy forms, it was easy to change parts of their body at will when they chose. Although, full body transformations took great skill and very few Nulli were good at it.

Muko feigned annoyance and began fanning away the keese. His face was solemn, but a slight smile curved around the two lower tusks of his bottom lip. It was clear to Pog that the Nulli favored Muko, but he'd never seen his brother abuse that power. Admiration made Pog take a deeper breath as his chest swelled and the corners of his own lips slightly curled. He dreamed of being seen that way. Oh, he was liked well enough, but he was Muko, Boggu and Duroc's runty little brother.

The young bokoblin stared down at his right forearm as though willing the recent, sudden mark of a five-fingered hand to grasp him once again. In his mind, he saw the mark glowing gold, standing out starkly against the rest of the luminous red life energy of his body. The mark had sizzled, stung and strangely left him feeling drained. Then as quickly as it appeared it had gone. The color blending in with the rest of him. He was stunned and told no one. At least not yet anyway.

The Goddess said the Nulli Hero would be marked. Pog shook his head unbelieving. There had to be a mistake. Among his brothers, Muko was the strongest and Pog was the weakest. In fact, being a red bokoblin classified him as the weakest type among his tribe. The order of weak to strong being red, blue, black and silver. Pog was ready to go find the Goddess, but she had already faded into the dark of the Void.

He jumped when the neon blue energy tentacles of an octorok he'd known all his life wrapped around his shoulders. Occy's energy crackled against his own comfortably, exuding an aura of friendship. "Who needs a Nulli Hero when we already have one?" Occy burbled next to his ear.

Pog forced a smile. As far as he was concerned, having a Nulli Hero was the same as having no Nulli Hero if that Hero was him. The red bokoblin feigned amusement though, not wanting to show his melancholy. "Oh, yea, if one's good then why not two?" He swiftly energy-shifted into a near-perfect replica of his eldest brother, white crackling energy and dressed in a green tunic of legendary significance. In his current weakened state, he had difficulty holding the form for very long. Within moments he was his smaller, redder self.

Occy gave another burbling laugh. "The Hylian Hero wished he looked as good!" The octorok then made his own attempt at energy-shifting that resulted in an unintended grotesque approximation of Muko's head atop eight wriggling blue tentacles.

Pog laughed more deeply and full. "That's the stuff of nightmares! I'd pay you to try that on Boggu with his own face. It'd scare him straight off the montessence!"

Occy took his original form but looked away from Pog. He chortled a weak sputter, nothing like his gurgling laughter seconds before. Pog shook his head in disbelief. "Tell me you're joking?" he asked.

Occy gave him a few flitting side glances. His darting dark crescent-shaped pupils reminded him of boomerangs. "What can I tell you? It's the Void." The octorok then turned to face him fully. The liveliness animating his tentacles seemed much more forced. The cephalopod attempted to resume his previous carefree tone. "You should come with me next time. It's not what you think. I was going to meet up with-"

"No!" Pog said sharply. An image of Boggu's glazed eyes floating listlessly inside his own head reminded Pog of wandering Nulli lights in the worst way. The image was followed by one of a brooding Muko whose eyes increasingly seemed locked on a growing, burning hatred within himself, and a bitter, withdrawn Duroc whose tongue lashed like a barbed whip at all who got too close.

Occy stared at Pog, surprised by his outburst. Pog shook his head solemnly, speaking aloud in a murmur to himself. "It's time for all of us to get out of here." He looked at a perplexed Occy once more before gliding away into the all-consuming dark of the Void. "Sorry, but there's something I need to do."

Some time later, the red bokoblin found himself far from the city. The giant orb of light that had comprised thousands of Nulli, had mostly dispersed into tiny little lights now sprinkled throughout the unlit municipal below. Pog took in a breath and exhaled slowly. It was now or never. He called to Vyomi.

She caught him off guard when she emerged from the darkness as though she were trying to step through a black curtain. The curtain and the dim ruby light emanating from his body seemed to wrap tightly around her own. She soaked in more of his red glow and let it fill her eyes. Then taking flecks of his ruby lucent she spun bits of them through her smoky hair which continued to hover around her face.

"Greetings young one," she responded cool and seemingly placid.

Pog made a hasty bow. Fists balled, he ran his thumbs over his knuckles. An urgency stronger than ever before took control of him. Then looking the deity full in the eyes he blurted, "Goddess Vyomi, you've made a terrible mistake."

The Goddess, composed as always, made a subtle tilt of her head. "Have I now?" she asked, her voice still tranquil. There was the faintest curve to her lips and tiniest twinkle in her eyes. So tiny it looked like it may fade any moment. He wondered what her mood would be if it did. And with that, he became acutely aware of her presence all around him. Though she stood in front of him, the parts of her unseen seemed to be slowly circling him. He shifted about, wishing he had eyes in the back of his head.

"Goddess, I meant to say…," he began floundering for his words.

"If I recall correctly," she answered raising a finger to halt him, "Mistake was the term of endearment used for the Nulli on the day of their birth by The Three." Pog merely blinked unsure of what to say. Vyomi continued, "I've always thought of myself as more of a fixer, and on that day, I believe I fixed a most egregious mistake. A terrible wrong."

Pog's large ears flattened against his head. A part of him wanted to retreat but the urgency inside him remained. Taking a breath, he steeled himself and moved toward her, raising his right forearm for her examination. "My apologies, but there has been a misunderstanding," he tried once more.

"Yes, there has," she said exasperated, barely glancing at his out-stretched limb. "It should go without saying that a divine mark would in no way resemble an unsightly bump, boil or whatever else."

The Goddess looked ready to slip back into shadow in the next breath. The urgency swelled. Barely containing himself, he thrust his right forearm in the Goddess's face.

"This is not supposed to be here!" he burst out.

"Little piglet…" she said, her voice moving toward vexation and dark, twinkle-less eyes now peering down into his. "And what exactly would I do with this misplaced limb? Would I add it to my collection of arms, tongues and other unwanted body parts? Or would you prefer I reattach it to the top of your head?"

"What? No, no, no!" Pog startled. He shook his head at his own bumbling, long pig ears slapping his cheeks now. "The mark! I'm talking about the mark."

The Goddess narrowed her eyes once more. The edge in her voice remained. He seemed to poke more and more holes in her patience. "What mark?"

"A golden handprint. It was here on my arm. It glowed and burned bright." He said as his eyes developed a faraway look in some kind of remembering. Pity tugged at Vyomi like an incessant child begging for attention of which she seemed ready to slap away, when suddenly a golden light radiated brilliantly from underneath the innocuous bokoblin's skin. When the light died down, a five fingered handprint was evident. The handprint faded away moments later. Vyomi and the small, red bokoblin stared at each other in surprise.

"What did you say your name was again?" she inquired. To which Pog answered. Pog sighed when recognition entered her eyes only after he mentioned he was Muko's youngest brother.

Vyomi nodded her head several times. She surveyed Pog for many minutes, causing him to further squirm. It reminded her of a certain young man whom she had recently met in Hyrule. She scoffed. Indeed the tether had chosen a compatible, like-minded anchor within the Void. "I should have known," she said to herself.

Pog knew he was small even for a red bokoblin and was certain her response was because of being underwhelmed. His temper lit like a dying fire stirred back to life.

"If you knew then why did you choose me," he responded, ears dropping back once more.

"You were chosen for a reason," she answered. "And there is no changing that fact." She decided she would keep the details of the tether to herself for now. He'd likely view his being chosen as the Nulli Hero as more of a happenstance rather than fate which would do nothing for his confidence.

"But there were so many better choices. Muko would have been-" Pog began.

The Goddess raised her hand. "There is no one else who can do what fate has chosen you to do. Not even Muko."

Pog gawked at her slackfaced and then said softly, "It's not just him. It's all of them. None of them will believe I can succeed."

"It doesn't change your duty," Vyomi answered. Pog fell silent. Pity urged her toward him again. "There's only one person you need to convince to make the others give you a chance."

Pog looked up at her and nodded his head reluctantly.

"I'll take you back to the city, so you can go to him." Vyomi encouraged. "But first, there is one more matter we must attend. Give me your hand and listen well on how you must use the power I'm going to bestow on you."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: In the Abyss of the Nulli Void - Part II**

Muko surveyed the circular assembly of floating Nulli council members he had gathered high above the city. The gathering wasn't as large as the one that had taken place earlier. Instead of every Nulli in the Void, the current assembly comprised the leader of each Nulli Tribe. There were 12 council members present, including himself. Still, the glow from the bodies in current attendance diminished his need to rely on radiant vision in the Void. His large eyes contracted to adapt to the increase in light. He focused on listening to Masai, leader of the Lynels. The large Lynel hovered mere feet away from him, glowing in luminous tones of burnt red and bronze.

A voluminous red mane hovering around the lynel's face swished gently against two large horns protruding from his forehead. Masai shook his head. A deep voice sounding much like a growl came from his fanged mouth. He sounded as though it took great effort to speak around his sharp teeth. "I have checked all. The Nulli Hero does not reside among the lynels."

Muko's eyes snagged on the massive molduga swimming another circling pass around the group. Small undersized arms and legs, too small to be useful on such a massive body, made treading motions in time to the movement of the fin on his back and the large tail behind him. The great behemoth was also a member of the council.

"And what of your people, Rorq?" Muko called out to the enormous tribal chief. A large glowing orange eye gripped him with its gaze followed by a single groaning roar. Rorq, a creature of few words said nothing more.

Muko had finished checking in with every Nulli Council Leader in the Void and not a single one reported having a member baring marks likely to belong to the Nulli Hero. He had to control the frustration tensing the muscles in his neck and jaw.

"What of the bokoblins?" asked Syen, leader of the Pebblits, in a gravelly voice that sounded like large, heavy stones rubbing against one another.

Muko stared and then shook his head at the tribal leader whose torso and limbs resembled a small pile of shining smooth, rounded stones. He gave a snort and then directed his next remarks to all around him. "I don't know about your tribes, but if they're anything like my own, they couldn't tell the difference between a celestial marking and a boil on their ass. Check your people again and let us reconvene at the next toll of the water clock." The Nulli had taken to keeping time using a clock powered by the running waters of the infinity pool that they'd built their unfinished city around.

Muko watched as the last of the gathering dispersed. He was ready to leave himself when suddenly the Goddess stepped out of pitch darkness and clothed herself in his glow. He let out another snort through his snout. His shoulders stiffened at her appearance.

"Goddess," he said, lowering his head respectfully as was expected. His eyes lingered on her like someone foolishly daring to hold a hot iron in his hands. His red gleaming eyes finally tore away when it seemed he could take no more.

"There's no time for this now," Vyomi responded, urgency making her sound more terse than intended. "Your brother has important news. We must go."

Muko crossed his arms over his broad chest like a protective shield. He wasn't sure which brother the Goddess was referring to. He didn't have time to ask since she was quick to step close and whisk him away in a cloak of darkness. His body went rigid at her nearness. His response didn't go unnoticed, but the diety ignored it. When he reappeared, he was standing on the rooftop of the tallest building in the city. He couldn't find the Goddess and assumed she had faded into the black of the Void once more. Muko let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It surprised him to see his youngest brother staring up at him.

"Pog?" he asked, brows raised.

Pog held up a three fingered clawed hand to signal Muko to wait. The best explanation would be in showing. He looked down at his right forearm again and concentrated on making the mark appear. He visualized it until the golden mark floated up to the surface of his candescent red skin, making his arm look like a blazing flame.

Muko averted his eyes until they adjusted to the light and then looked at Pog in bewilderment. "You? You're the Hero?!"

Pog licked his lips and fidgeted."Yes, I came to tell you… and to ask for your help."

Muko studied Pog thoughtfully and then more excitedly. "As the Nulli Hero, your focus should not be on aiding Ganon and you should not waste your time on convincing Hyruleans to invite us to stay. Your time would be better spent taking what we need to thrive here in the Void. To start, you must capture the Zora City."

Pog blinked at his brother. "But is this what the rest of the council wants? No one wants to stay in the Void."

"It's what's best for us all," Muko snapped, taking Pog aback. The silver energy of his brother's imposing frame flashed like lightening.

"But the Goddess said I needed to change the hearts and minds of the Hyruleans, so they will invite us all to stay for good."

"To the deepest and most wretched Nothing with Ganon and the Hyruleans!" Muko spat, curling his lip. "They will never have us!"

"You don't understand," Pog insisted, hurling out his words in an effort to get ahead of his brother's fury. "The Goddess gave me a hand of power. Something to help me convince the Hyruleans."

"What hand of power? What in the darkest hell are you talking about, Poggle?" Muko asked, exasperated and now calling him by his full given name. "We need to strategize on how you will go about taking Zora City. Come with me before the council."

"She said I would be able to manipulate and control unoccupied and conjoined space," Pog continued. "To an extent anyway."

"Unless you have a plan to manipulate the space between the ears of every Hyrulean, then I'd say that power is all but useless," Muko scoffed.

"Brother, please listen to me!" Pog cried in desperation. "The Goddess says I'll be able to remove Ganon's malice from the body of any Nulli I use it on!"

Muko stopped for a moment to chew on this bit of information. He raised a large clenched fist to his jaw. The thoughts behind his eyes whirled and then exited his mouth at high speed.

"If you were to use this power on every Nulli once we arrive in Hyrule our free will would be re-intact. We could concentrate our efforts on attacking the Zora City. Once we take the city, we would have full access to their luminous stone deposits. We wouldn't even have to stop with the Zora. We'll take whatever we want from them all! Are you able to open portals like the Goddess?"

"What? Portals? I don't know." Pog shook his head rapidly and threw up his hands. "Muko, it's one thing for our people to have committed monstrous acts under the influence of another, but it's another to do it under our free will. They would never accept us in Hyrule if we did this!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Poggle! We may have done none of the things we did under our own will, and we may not even remember the things we did, but we still handed our will over to someone knowing full well how they would use it. The damage is done! The light worlders deserve everything they've gotten and we are merely taking our due."

Pog had never heard his brother speak this way before. Was it too late to reconcile with the light worlders?

"I see reason has finally found you." Muko sighed, taking Pog's silence as surrender to his logic. "We don't have time to waste. We need to strategize our plans at the next council meeting. I would have you right by my side when I proudly tell them the Nulli Hero is my very own brother."

Pog robotically nodded his head as though in a trance. Wasn't this why he had met with his brother alone in the first place rather than have the Goddess transport him directly in the middle of the last council meeting? He had his brother's support and through him the respect of the Nulli.

A foul taste in the back of his throat made him want to gag. If he followed his brother's plan, and they succeeded, the Nulli would no longer have to make deals with Ganon. They would spend the rest of eternity in the Void in a gleaming city made of luminous stone along with the comforts of their other spoils of war.

Then he thought of the cries of the despairing Nulli from the meeting with the Goddess. This plan would not solve their problems. There were Nulli who would agree with his brother, but there would be many Nulli who wanted a place in Hyrule. A place they would never have if they attacked and destroyed the Zora City, or stole and plundered from the Hyruleans.

Muko's hand on his shoulder was meant to be reassuring but became a lead steering him back to the meeting place high above the city. He hardly noticed when all the Nulli council members arrived once more. He was light-headed and everything seemed to be happening from a distance. He listened as Muko began explaining their plans to pillage Hyrule, not for Ganon, but for the benefit of the Nulli. And with him at the center of it all. "My brother, Our Nulli Hero, will be the key to our success!"

"Respects Muko, but it's hard to believe that Poggy is the Marked One the Goddess spoke of," voiced Ooni, leader of the giant, one-eyed Hinox. The gleaming bulk of the enormous cyclops shifted as he hovered closer to peer down at Pog with his large, neon blue eye. The rest of his coloring distinguished him as belonging to the black hinox kith. Ooni either didn't care or took no notice that his hulking frame had shoved several of the smaller council members aside. "Show us the mark!" he demanded.

"Better yet, I would like to see this hand of power you mentioned," called out the craggy voice of Dolo, leader of the Talus. His voice sounded like the churning of bubbling, hot magma. He was one of the few council members to not scurry out of Ooni's way. The igneo talus's large size rivaled that of the cyclops. A massive stone body appearing very much like boulders of volcanic rock burned red and orange in light energy.

Muko smiled widely and turned to Pog, beckoning him forward.

The usual weightlessness of the Void magnified as he stood outside himself. He stared agape watching as his lips mouthed a single word in a low whisper. "No."

Pog's body shook in time to his quavering voice. "N-Not before all of you hear me out." Muko stared at Pog suspiciously but he didn't stop him from continuing. "If we want to live freely, it can't be as beggars, scavengers or thieves," Pog went on.

"Exactly, it must be as conquerors!" Muko added, attempting to snatch control of the dialogue once again.

"No." Pog said more firmly and bobbed away to put some distance between himself and his brother. "We have an opportunity to be equals… allies." Pog kept his eyes on the Nulli council members and tried to ignore the surge of barely contained anger radiating from Muko. "We should fight against Ganon with the Hyruleans," he finished quickly.

The silence that followed was a fragile, brittle thing; shattered spectacularly by jeering laughs.

Pog shrank into himself. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now. A large hand closed painfully tight around his arm. Muko's claws dug into his energy crackling. "You fool! Stand here and say nothing more!" he hissed in Pog's ear. Pog's eyes averted downward. He didn't notice that not all the members of the council had taken pleasure at his supposed folly. Instead, he thought about his own foolishness and the golden hand mark. _"If only I could be anywhere but here…"_

Suddenly, the golden mark resurfaced more intensely hot than ever. Muko jerked his hand away cradling it protectively. Unfortunately, Pog couldn't escape the searing burning sensation as easily. The gold light outshone the combined light of the council, forcing all the remaining tittering laughs to die. Pog drifted far away from all sound, but the intensely blaring light was inescapable. Even with his eyes closed he still saw the light slowly consuming him.

When the light died down, there was nothing left of him he recognized. Pog fell to hands and knees that weren't his own. He jerked back startled and afraid when he saw the combined total of ten slender Hylian fingers instead of his usual bulky bokoblin six. Slowly, his surroundings came back into focus leaving him confused and shocked to find not the Nulli Council looking back at him, but a gleaming room full of angry Zora warriors.

Directly in front of him was the largest and most imposing of the Zora–ruler of the aquatic race, King Dorephan. The monarch looked every bit as impressive in person as he did in the infinity pool of the Void. A seven-pointed sun crown of white gold set with glowing luminous stone and other blue gems sat on his head. A deep red sash with cords woven of gold thread tied around his neck was fastened in place by an ornate brooch of luminous stone.

The king stood in front of his throne, towering over everyone else present. He had to be at least five times the height of any bokoblin and probably close to that of a hinox. A massive, muscular body was tensed for violence with clenched fists barely held in check by his sides. He stared down at Pog, jaw trembling and sharp teeth bared.

Pog's stomach dropped as he realized he was no longer in the Nulli Void. He also was not the only focus of King Dorephan's rage but every single person in the room. The king's voice rumbled out of his chest in a roaring boom.

"You dare conspire with Yiga criminals to take the life of my daughter!"

Standing next to the king was Princess Mipha. She was vastly smaller compared to her father. She also had smooth, red skin instead of her father's deep blue. But like all Zora, her face and underbelly was pale white. Her delicate, demure frame held a trident in one hand and the hand of a Zora child in the other. The small child seemed frightened by everything unfolding and grasped on to the princess's hand tightly. However, when he met eyes with Pog, the wide-eyed worry quickly turned to a scorching heat meant to turn him into a pile of ash. Mipha also gave him a look that revealed a raging storm from within.

"Arrest him!" the king bellowed. Still confused, Pog hardly put up a fight. Within seconds Zora guards subdued him and placed him in hand shackles. "There is a special place that we keep for murderous monsters like you!"

Pog jolted at that and wondered if the king could see him underneath the Hylian skin he was wearing. Was a beast truly what all of them saw?

"Remove this creature from my sight immediately!" King Dorephan thundered, slicing through Pog's thoughts.

A jail cell was the last thing Pog had in mind when he wanted to escape from the Nulli council meeting.

* * *

**Hello, I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who took time to read my story, left a review, and/or added me to their fav or alert list:**

**Kurama the Platinum Zoroark, LD Mire, OutsiderDude, ShadowWolf223, Sp00kyT00ns, and Moon13dreams.**

**I also want to thanks Moon13Dreams for beta reading a couple of my chapters to help me improve as a writer. **


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